• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.762-769
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• 2020

Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is an essential vitamin existing in the daily diet, and menaquinone-7 (MK-7) is an important form of it. In a recent work, we engineered the synthesis modules of MK-7 in Bacillus subtilis, and the strain BS20 could produce 360 mg/l MK-7 in shake flasks, while the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, which provides the precursor isopentenyl diphosphate for MK-7 synthesis, was not engineered. In this study, we overexpressed five genes of the MEP pathway in BS20 and finally obtained a strain (BS20DFHG) with MK-7 titer of 415 mg/l in shake flasks. Next, we optimized the fermentation process parameters (initial pH, temperature and aeration) in an 8-unit parallel bioreactor system consisting of 300-ml glass vessels. Based on this, we scaled up the MK-7 production by the strain BS20DFHG in a 50-l bioreactor, and the highest MK-7 titer reached 242 mg/l. Here, we show that the engineered strain BS20DFHG may be used for the industrial production of MK-7 in the future.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제58권3호
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• pp.273-279
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• 2015

해양 미세조류인 Phaeodactylum tricornutum은 게놈 염기서열이 완전히 밝혀진 규조류로서, 형질전환 방법이 개발되어 있고, 여러 가지 분자생물학적 연구 기술이 개발되어 규조류 연구에서 모델 종으로 여겨지고 있다. 본 연구의 목적은 methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) 대사경로의 마지막 효소인 (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase (HDR)를 코딩하는 P. tricornutum의 Pthdr 유전자를 P. tricornutum에 도입하여 형질전환체를 확보하는 것이다. 유전자 도입 방법은 gold microcarrier를 사용한 bombardment 방법을 사용하였고, 형질전환 유무 및 목적 유전자의 전사체 확인에는 각각 genomic DNA-PCR 및 cDNA-PCR 방법을 사용하였다. 양성대조군으로 egfp 유전자를 P. tricornutum에 도입하여 최종적으로 eGFP 단백질이 발현되는 것을 형광 공초점 현미경을 통해 확인하였다. 이를 바탕으로, 확보된 Pthdr 형질전환체에서도 도입한 Pthdr 유전자로부터 발현된 PtHDR 효소도 잘 발현될 것으로 추측할 수 있었다. 이렇게 준비된 Pthdr 형질전환체는 추후 연구를 통해, P. tricornum의 유용물질인 카로티노이드의 생합성 과정 연구 및 고부가가치 카로티노이드 과발현 균주 개발 등에 유용한 정보를 제공할 것으로 기대된다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제40권6호
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• pp.911-920
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• 2007

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, continues to be one of the leading infectious diseases to humans. It is urgent to discover novel drug targets for the development of antitubercular agents. The 2-C-methyl-Derythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis has been considered as an attractive target for the discovery of novel antibiotics for its essentiality in bacteria and absence in mammals. MEP cytidyltransferase (IspD), the third-step enzyme of the pathway, catalyzes MEP and CTP to form 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methylerythritol (CDP-ME) and PPi. In the work, ispD gene from M. tuberculosis H37Rv (MtIspD) was cloned and expressed. With N-terminal fusion of a histidine-tagged sequence, MtIspD could be purified to homogeneity by one-step nickel affinity chromatography. MtIspD exists as a homodimer with an apparent molecular mass of 52 kDa. Enzyme property analysis revealed that MtIspD has high specificity for pyrimidine bases and narrow divalent cation requirements, with maximal activity found in the presence of CTP and $Mg^{2+}$. The turnover number of MtIspD is $3.4 s^{-1}$. The Km for MEP and CTP are 43 and $92{\mu}M$, respectively. Furthermore, MtIspD shows thermal instable above $50^{\circ}C$. Circular dichroism spectra revealed that the alteration of tertiary conformation is closely related with sharp loss of enzyme activity at higher temperature. This study is expected to help better understand the features of IspD and provide useful information for the development of novel antibiotics to treat M. tuberculosis.

• BMB Reports
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• 제39권5호
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• pp.502-510
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• 2006

2C-methyl-D-erythritol 2, 4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (MECPS, EC: 4.6.1.12) is the fifth enzyme of the non-mevalonate terpenoid pathway for isopentenyl diphosphate biosynthesis and is involved in the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway for ginkgolide biosynthesis. The full-length mecps cDNA sequence (designated as Gbmecps) was cloned and characterized for the first time from gymnosperm plant species, Ginkgo biloba, using RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) technique. The full-length cDNA of Gbmecps was 874 bp containing a 720 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a peptide of 239 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 26.03 kDa and an isoelectric point of 8.83. Comparative and bioinformatic analyses revealed that GbMECPS showed extensive homology with MECPSs from other species and contained conserved residues owned by the MECPS protein family. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that GbMECPS was more ancient than other plant MECPSs. Tissue expression pattern analysis indicated that GbMECPS expressed the highest in roots, followed by in leaves, and the lowest in seeds. The color complementation assay indicated that GbMECPS could accelerate the accumulation of $\beta$-carotene. The cloning, characterization and functional analysis of GbMECPS will be helpful to understand more about the role of MECPS involved in the ginkgolides biosynthesis at the molecular level.