• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1647-1652
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• 2010

Autophagy refers to the bulk degradation of cellular proteins and organelles through an autophagosome and plays a pivotal role in the development, cellular differentiation, aging, and elimination of aberrant structures. A failure of autophagy has been implicated in a growing list of mammalian disease states, including cancer and cardiomyopathy. Two ubiquitin-like systems are highly involved in autophagy, especially in the formation of autophagosomes. Here, we purified and characterized Atg7 (an E1-like enzyme), and Atg3 and Atg10 (E2-like enzymes) in order to gain an insight into the role played by ubiquitin-like systems in the formation of autophagosomes. Interestingly, we observed that Atg7 forms a homodimer to construct an active conformation, unlike other E1-like enzymes. Although Atg3 was detected as a monomer under physiological conditions, Atg10 existed in an oligomeric form, indicating that the mechanism by which Atg10 functions may differ from that of Atg3.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.89-89
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• 2019

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 1994

Two different trypsin inhibitors, TRTI-1 and TRTI-2, were purified to near homogenity from Trichosanthes kirilowii root, by $0{\sim}90%$ saturated ammonium sulfate salting out, DEAE-Sephacel ion exchange chromatography, Sephadex G-50 gel filtration chromatography and trypsin-affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of TRTI-1 and TRTI-2 were estimated to be about 5,000 Da and 24,000 Da, respectively, by gel filtration and must be monomer and homodimer since they contain 4,000 Da and 10,000 Da each on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. TRTI-1 was stable after heating for at least 2 hr at $100^{\circ}C$ but TRTI-2 was completely inactivated after heating for 10 min at $90^{\circ}C$. When Bz-dl-Arg-pNA was used as a substrate of TPCK-treated trypsin, half-maximal inhibitions of TRTI-1 and TRTI-2 were observed at $0.8\;{\mu}M$ and 6\;${\mu}M$, repectively. Both TRTI-1 and TRTI-2 inhibited the hydrolysis of trypsin competitively and Km values were $0.97\;{\mu}M$ and $0.63\;{\mu}M$, respectively. Both TRTI-1 and TRTI-2 specifically inhibited trypsin but they did not inhibit other proteases tested, chymotrypsin, papain, elastase, collagenase, thermolysin, Nagarase, pepsin, and thrombin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 1996

By using a T7 expression system, a large amount of Bacillus stearothermophilus endo-xylanase A (XynA) could be produced in Escherichia coli cells. The overproduced enzyme formed inclusion bodies, and so the protein could be more easily purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 22 kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 43 kDa by Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration, suggesting that the native enzyme was a homodimer. The pI value was determined to be 8.4. The Michaelis constants for birchwood xylan and oat spelts xylan were calculated to be 3.83 mg/ml and 5.03 mg/ml, respectively, and the $V_{max}$ max/ values for both xylans were 2.86 $\mu mole$/min. The purified enzyme was most active at $55^{\circ}C$ and pH 8.0, and stable up to $60^{\circ}C$ and in the near neutral pH range. From the zymogram, Bacillus stearothermophilus was found to have at least three xylanases and the purified one was the smallest among them.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.753-758
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• 2014

Sorting nexin 9 (SNX9) is a member of the sorting nexin family of proteins and plays a critical role in clathrinmediated endocytosis. It has a Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domain which can form a crescent-shaped homodimer structure that induces deformation of the plasma membrane. While other BAR-domain containing proteins such as amphiphysin and endophilin have an amphiphatic helix in front of the BAR domain which plays a critical role in membrane penetration, SNX9 does not. Thus, whether and how SNX9 BAR domain could induce the deformation of the plasma membrane is not clear. The present study identified the internal putative amphiphatic stretch in the $1^{st}$ ${\alpha}$-helix of the SNX9 BAR domain and proved that together with the N-terminal helix ($H_0$) region, this internal putative amphiphatic stretch is critical for inducing membrane tubulation. Therefore, our study shows that SNX9 uses a unique mechanism to induce the tubulation of the plasma membrane which mediates proper membrane deformation during clathrinmediated endocytosis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.727-731
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• 2010

The gene APE0743 encoding the superoxide dismutase (ApSOD) of a hyperthermophilic archaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1 was cloned and overexpressed as a GST fusion protein at a high level in Escherichia coli. The expressed protein was simply purified by the process of glutathione affinity chromatography and thrombin treatment. The ApSOD was a homodimer of 25 kDa subunits and a cambialistic SOD, which was active with either Fe(II) or Mn(II) as a cofactor. The ApSOD was highly stable against high temperature. This thermostable ApSOD is expected to be applicable as a useful biocatalyst for medicine and bioindustrial processes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.206-212
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• 1999

The gene orf7(oxi III) was expressed using an E. coli system in anticipation that it would encode dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratase which is involved in the biosynthesis of the olivose moiety of chlorothricin produced from Streptomyces antibioticus Tu99. The solubility of the expressed protein increased up to 20% under optimal induction conditions. The expressed protein was purified from the E. coli BL 21(DE3) cell lysate by a 28.5-fold purification in two chromatography steps with a 38% recovery to near homogeneity. The molecular weight and N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified protein correlated with the predicted mass and sequence deduced from the orf7 gene. The purified protein was a homodimer with a subunit relative molecular weight of 38,000 Dalton. The expressed protein was found to exhibit dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratase activity and be highly specific for dTDP-glucose as a substrate. The values of K'm and V'max for dTDP-glucose were 28 $\mu$M and 295 nmol $min^{-1} (mg protein)^{-1}$, respectively. dTTP and dTDP were strong inhibitors of this enzyme.$NAD^+$, the coenzyme for dTDP-glucose 4,6-dehydratase, was tightly bound to the expressed protein.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.492-497
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• 1998

Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) was purified from horseradish by using Mono Q and Superose 12 FPLC column chromatography. The native molecular mass of the purified enzyme was approximately 33 kDa, as determined by gel filtration. The subunit molecular weight, as estimated by SDS-PAGE, was 16 kDa. These results indicated that the native enzyme is a homodimer. We investigated the free radical-generating function of horseradish Cu,Zn-SOD by using a chromogen, 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) which reacts with ${\cdot}OH$ radicals to form $ABTS^{+{\cdot}}$ The formation of $ABTS^{+{\cdot}}$ was required for both active Cu, Zn-SOD and $H_2O_2$. The optimal pH for the free radical-generating activity of this enzyme was 6.0-8.0, and it retained about $40^{\circ}C$ of its maximum activity when exposed at $40^{\circ}C$ for 15 min. A neutral scavenger, ethanol, inhibited the $ABTS^{+{\cdot}}$ formation by horseradish Cu, Zn-SOD more effectively than that by the mammalian enzyme. These results suggest that the active channel of horseradish enzyme is slightly larger than that of the mammalian enzyme.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.329-333
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• 2001

Active lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is known as a noncovalent homodimer of identical subunits, and dissociation of the dimer to a monomeric form renders the lipase inactive. In this study, the oligomerization status of LPL in human and rat plasma was investigated. The LPL activity was barely detectable in the control rat and human plasma. After the injection of heparin, the total lipolytic activity of plasma was rapidly increased, and reached its maximum in 30 min. Changes of the LPL protein correlated well with those of lipolytic activity. The LPL protein that is released by heparin into both human and rat plasma was active and dimeric in the sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. In control rat plasma, LPL was inactive, and a great fraction was present as an aggregate. However, the inactive LPL protein in the control human plasma retained the dimeric state, indicating that dimerization can be an entity independent of the catalytic activity of LPL. The released LPL is transported as a complex with lipoproteins in plasma. Lipoprotein profiles, determined by NaBr ultracentrifugation, exhibited typical LDL- and HDL-mammal patterns in humans and rats, respectively, with a smaller amount of the LDL fraction observed in rats. The difference in the lipoprotein profiles might influence the fate of the released LPL in plasma.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.201-215
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• 1981

In vitro intra- and interspecific molecular hybridizations of lactate dehydrogenase isozymes from six species were performed by freezing and thawing the isozymes in sodium chloride, resulting each of the interspecific hybridization of Fluta alba $H_4 \\times$ Ophicephalus argus $M_4$ and that of O. argus $M_4 \\times$ Parasilurus asotus isozymes showed one hybrid isozyme considered to be an $M_2H_2$ isozyme. The results fit with the suggestion that the isozyme of lower vertebrates is a dimer of homodimer as far as te assemblies of subunit M and subunit H are concerned.