• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2021

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), belonging to the Firmicutes phylum, lack heme biosynthesis and, thus, are characterized as fermentative and catalase-negative organisms. To verify the hypothesis that heme-rich-nutrients might compensate the heme-biosynthesis incapability of non-respiratory LAB in animal gut, a heme-rich-nutrient was fed to a dog and its fecal microbiome was analyzed. Firmicutes abundance in the feces from the heme-rich-nutrient-fed dog was 99%, compared to 92% in the control dog. To clarify the reason of increased Firmicutes abundance in the feces from the heme-rich-nutrient-fed dog, Lacobacillus gasseri were used as model anerobic LAB to study a purified heme (hemin). The anaerobic growth of L. gasseri in the medium with 25 µM hemin supplementation was faster than that in the medium without hemin, while the growth in the 50 µM hemin-supplemented medium did not vary. Cellular activities of the cytochrome bd complex were 1.55 ± 0.19, 2.11 ± 0.14, and 2.20 ± 0.08 U/gcell in the cells from 0, 25, and 50 µM hemin-supplemented medium, while intracellular ATP concentrations were 7.90 ± 1.12, 11.95 ± 0.68, and 12.56 ± 0.58 µmol_ATP/g_cell, respectively. The ROS-scavenging activities of the L. gasseri cytosol from 25 µM and 50 µM hemin-supplemented medium were 68% and 82% greater than those of the cytosol from no hemin supplemented-medium, respectively. These findings indicate that external hemin could compensate the heme-biosynthesis incapability of L. gasseri by increasing the cytosolic ROS-scavenging and extra ATP generation, possibly through increasing the electron transfer. Increase in the number of anaerobic bacteria in heme-rich-nutrient-fed animal gut is discussed based on the results.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.151-156
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• 2005

The conformational dynamics of heme pocket, a small vacant site near the binding site of heme proteins -myoglobin (Mb) and hemoglobin (Hb), was investigated after photolysis of carbon monoxide from MbCO and HbCO in D$_2$O solution at 283 K by probing time-resolved vibrational spectra of photolyzed CO. Two absorption bands, arising from CO in the heme pocket, evolve nonexponentially in time. The band at higher energy side blue shifts and broadens with time and the one at lower energy side narrows significantly with a negligible shift. These spectral evolutions are induced by protein conformational changes following photolysis that modify structure and electric field of heme pocket, and ligand dynamics in it. The conformational changes affecting the spectrum of photolyzed CO in heme pocket likely modulates ligand-binding activity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.239-241
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• 2012

Iron availability is limited in the environment and most bacteria have developed a system to acquire iron from host hemoproteins. Heme oxygenase plays an important role by degrading heme group and releasing the essential nutrient iron. The structure of Bacillus subtilis HmoB was determined to 2.0 ${\AA}$ resolution. B. subtilis HmoB contains a typical antibiotic biosynthesis monooxygenase (ABM) domain that spans from 71 to 146 residues and belongs to the IsdG family heme oxygenases. Comparison of HmoB and IsdG family proteins showed that the C-terminal region of HmoB has similar sequence and structure to IsdG family proteins and contains conserved critical residues for heme degradation. However, HmoB is distinct from other IsdG family proteins in that HmoB is about 60 amino acids longer in the N-terminus and does not form a dimer whereas previously studied IsdG family heme oxygenases form functional homodimers. Interestingly, the structure of monomeric HmoB resembles the dimeric structure of IsdG family proteins. Hence, B. subtilis HmoB is a heme oxygenase with a novel structural feature.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1997.05a
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• pp.92-96
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• 1997

고농도로 오염된 난분해성 유해오염물질은 토양계에 존재하고 있는 미생물에 대한 독성과 낮은 활성도로 인하여 복원기술 발전에 제한되어진다. 본 연구에서는 pH 4.8과 pH 7.7인 토양에 Phenanthrene을 인위적으로 오염시킨후 heme 촉매와 과산화수소를 이용하여 오염토양을 복원하는 기술에 대한l 기초적 연구를 수행하였다. Heme과 과산화수소를 오염토양에 첨가한 뒤 30일 반응후 토양내 존재하고 있는 Phenanthrene 초기농도 약 400 mg/kg soil에 대한 분해율은 pH 4.8과 7.7 오염토양내 각각 50％와 67%이었다. Heme과 과산화수소를 이용한 오염토양의 복원기술은 중성 오염토양에서 약 3일후 67％ 빠르게 분해되는 결과를 보여주고 있다.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.523-526
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• 1995

Administering ${\delta}-aminolevulinic$ acid (ALA) to isolated pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts resulted in an increase of heme synthesis in the heme branch of the tetrapyrrole pathway. At 0.1 mM ALA, in the presence of 1 mM $FeSO_4$ heme synthesis was stimulated up to 7 fold of that in the absence of $FeSO_4$. N-Methylmesoporphyrin IX (NMMP), a powerful inhibitor of ferrochelatase, inhibited heme synthesis by 95% at one micromolar concentration. The addition of A TP to the chloroplasts caused not only heme synthesis, but Mg-protoporphyrin IX synthesis in the chlorophyll branch of the tetrapyrrole pathway. In the presence of NMMP, however, inhibition of Mg-protoporphyrin IX synthesis was not observed whereas heme synthesis was inhibited completely.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.500-506
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• 2017

To investigate the potential applications of bacterial heme, aminolevulinic acid synthase (HemA) was expressed in a Corynebacterium glutamicum HA strain that had been adaptively evolved against oxidative stress. The red pigment from the constructed strain was extracted and it exhibited the typical heme absorbance at 408 nm from the spectrum. To investigate the potential of this strain as an iron additive for swine, a prototype feed additive was manufactured in pilot scale by culturing the strain in a 5 ton fermenter followed by spray-drying the biomass with flour as an excipient (biomass: flour = 1:10 (w/w)). The 10% prototype additive along with regular feed was supplied to a pig, resulting in a 1.1 kg greater increase in weight gain with no diarrhea in 3 weeks as compared with that in a control pig that was fed an additive containing only flour. To verify if C. glutamicum-synthesized heme is a potential electron carrier, lactic acid bacteria were cultured under aerobic conditions with the extracted heme. The biomasses of the aerobically grown Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus rhamosus, and Lactobacillus casei were 97%, 15%, and 4% greater, respectively, than those under fermentative growth conditions. As a potential preservative, cultures of the four strains of lactic acid bacteria were stored at $4^{\circ}C$ with the extracted heme and living lactic acid bacterial cells were counted. There were more L. lactis and L. plantarum live cells when stored with heme, whereas L. rhamosus and L. casei showed no significant differences in live-cell numbers. The potential uses of the heme from C. glutamicum are further discussed.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.337-342
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• 2019

We published that bacterial heme was over-produced in a recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum expressing 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase ($hemA^+$) under control of a constitutive promoter ($P_{180}$) and the heme-producing C. glutamicum had commercial potentials; as an iron feed additive for swine and as a preservative for lactic acid bacteria. To enhance the heme production, the $hemA^+$ gene was expressed under controls of various promoters in the recombinant C. glutamicum. The $hemA^+$ expression by $P_{gapA}$ (a constitutive glycolytic promoter of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) led 75% increase of heme production while the expression by $P_{H36}$ (a constitutive, very strong synthetic promoter) resulted in 50% decrease compared with the control ($hemA^+$ expression by $P_{180}$ constitutive promoter). The $hemA^+$ expression by a late log-phase activating $P_{sod}$ (an oxidative-stress responding promoter of superoxide dismutase) led 50% greater heme production than the control. The $hemA^+$ expression led by a heat-shock responding chaperone promoter ($P_{dnaK}$) resulted in 121% increase of heme production at the optimized heat-shock conditions. The promoter strength and induction phase are discussed based on the results for the heme production at an industrial scale.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.98-105
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• 1986

Rhizobium meliloti 102 F 51, the symbiotic partner of alfalfa, was mutagenized with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG) and UV-irradiation. Three group of mutants which form white, white-pink and red nodules were selected. The adetylene reduction activity, nodulation activity, amount of heme synthesis during the nodulation, and ${\delta}-aminolevulinic$ acid synthetase (ALAS) and ${\delta}-aminolevulinic$ acid dehydratase (ALAD) activities in free living rhizobia and bacteroid states of the each group of mutants were compared. The mutants forming white nodules showed lower acetylene reduction activity compared to those of red nodule forming mutants. The two key enzymes for the heme synthetic pathway, ALAS and ALAD activities of the mutants forming red nodules was much higher than those of the mutants forming white nodules in bacteroid state, however no significant difference was observed in free living state. In the nodules the ALAS was detected only in bacteroid fraction, while ALAD was detected both in bacteroid and plant fraction. ALAS was dramatically increased with the heme synthesis during the nodulation, while ALAD was decreased in plant fraction but slight increase was observed in bacteroid fraction.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.295-300
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• 2006

Iron bound to heme appears to be more bioavailable than iron salts. A clinical study was performed to investigate the absorption efficiency of heme-iron and iron-salt products available. Heme-iron and nonheme-iron supplements have become available in Korea. We performed iron absorption studies to compare the absorption of heme-iron polypeptide (HIP) products made from digested hemoglobin, produced in Korea (HIPk) and imported from Japan (HIj), with that of iron salts. In the study, 80 subjects were divided into 5 groups (n=56): placebo group; 12 mg glucose, HIPk group; 12 mg iron as HIPk, HIj group; 12 mg iron as HIj, iron-salt group 1; 12 mg of iron as ferrous aminoacetate, and iron-salt group 2; 100 mg iron as ferrous aminoacetate. Changes in serum iron levels were measured at 3 and 5 hours post ingestion. Absorption of iron in HIPk was higher compared to HIj, iron-salt or placebo. There was a significant inverse correlation between low serum iron levels $(<80{\mu}g/dl)$ and iron absorption from HIPk. These results demonstrated that HIPk was more bioavailable, even taken with a meal, and would have potential advantages over iron salt or HIj as an iron supplement. Our results indicate that heme-iron absorption is regulated by iron status through a heme receptor, whereas iron-salt absorption is unregulated.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2009

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is an inducible enzyme that catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in the oxidative degradation of free heme into ferrous iron, carbon monoxide (CO), and biliverdin (BV), the latter being subsequently converted into bilirubin (BR). HO-1, once expressed during inflammation, forms high concentrations of its enzymatic by-products that can influence various biological events, and this expression is proven to be associated with the resolution of inflammation. The degradation of heme by HO-1 itself, the signaling actions of CO, the antioxidant properties of BV/BR, and the sequestration of ferrous iron by ferritin all concertedly contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects of HO-1. This review focuses on the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of HO-1 actions and its roles in inflammatory diseases.