• BMB Reports
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.154-160
• /
• 1999

A calcium-independent phospholipase $A_2$ ($iPLA_2$) was identified from the cytosolic fraction of rat liver cells. On gel filtration chromatography, the $iPLA_2$ activity was eluted as broad peaks of 150 to 500 kDa. The enzyme was maximally active at pH 7.5, retained 75% of its original activity after heating at $50^{\circ}C$ for 5 h, and was inhibited by $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, and $Zn^{2+}$ ions, but was not affected by $Na^+$ and $K^+$ ions. The enzymatic activity was increased up to 150% by 1 to 4 mM DTT and was inhibited up to 25% by 0.1 to 1 mM PMSF. The $iPLA_2$ activity had preference for the head group of phospholipids, where phosphatidylethanolamine was preferred to phosphatidylcholine. The results suggest that the $iPLA_2$ may be a novel enzyme distinct from the previously reported $iPLA_2s$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.757-763
• /
• 2006

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have generally been very useful to remedy or prevent hypertension. This study describes the extraction and characterization of an ACE inhibitor from the fruiting body of Pholiota adiposa ASI 24012, which can be used as an antihypertensive drug. The maximal ACE inhibitory activity $(IC_{50};0.25mg)$ was obtained when the fruiting body of Pholiota adiposa ASI 24012 was extracted with distilled water at $30^{\circ}C$ for 12 h. After the purification of ACE inhibitor with ultrafiltration, Sephadex G-25 column chromatography, and reverse-phase HPLC, an active fraction with an $IC_{50}$ of 0.044 mg was obtained. The purified ACE inhibitory peptide was a novel pentapeptide, showing very little similarity to other ACE inhibitory peptide sequences. The molecular mass of the purified ACE inhibitor was estimated to be 414 daltons with a sequence of Gly-Glu-Gly-Gly-Pro, and showed a clear antihypertensive effect on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at a dosage of 1 mg/kg.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.134-139
• /
• 2006

Methanotrophs are microorganisms that possess the unique ability to utilize methane as their sole source of carbon and energy. A novel culture system, known as the compulsory circulation diffusion system, was developed for rapid growth of methanotrophic bacteria. Methanol dehydrogenase (MDH, EC 1.1.99.8) from Methylomicrobium sp. HG-1, which belongs to the type I group of methanotrophic bacteria, can catalyze the oxidation of methanol directly into formaldehyde. This enzyme was purified 8-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity by means of a 4 step procedure and was found in the soluble fraction. The relative molecular weight of the native enzyme was estimated by gel filtration to be 120 kDa. The enzyme consisted of two identical dimers which, in turn, consisted of large and small subunits in an ${\alpha}_2{\beta}_2$ conformation. The isoelectric point was 5.4. The enzymatic activity of purified MDH was optimum at pH 9.0 and $60^{\circ}C$, and remained stable at that temperature for 20 min. MDH was able to oxidize primary alcohols from methanol to octanol and formaldehyde.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.7
• /
• pp.1105-1111
• /
• 2018

The flavin-dependent monooxygenase Sam5 was previously reported to be a bifunctional hydroxylase with coumarate 3-hydroxylase and resveratrol 3'-hydroxylase activities. In this article, we showed the Sam5 enzyme has 3'-hydroxylation activities for methylated resveratrols (pinostilbene and pterostilbene), hydroxylated resveratrol (oxyresveratrol), and glycosylated resveratrol (piceid) as substrates. However, piceid, a glycone-type stilbene used as a substrate for bioconversion experiments with the Sam5 enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli, did not convert to the hydroxylated compound astringin, but it was converted by in vitro enzyme reactions. Finally, we report a novel catalytic activity of Sam5 monooxygenase for the synthesis of piceatannol derivatives, 3'-hydroxylated stilbene compounds. Development of this bioproduction method for the hydroxylation of stilbenes is challenging because of the difficulty in expressing P450-type hydroxylase in E. coli and regiospecific chemical synthesis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.339-342
• /
• 2012

This study describes the characterization of a new angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide from a Korean traditional rice wine. After purification of the ACE inhibitor peptides with ultrafiltration, Sephadex G-25 column chromatography, and successively $C_{18}$ and SCX solid-phase extraction, reverse-phase HPLC, and size exculsion chromatography, two types of the purified ACE inhibitors with $IC_{50}$ values of 0.34 mg/ml and 1.23 mg/ml were finally obtained. The two purified ACE inhibitors (F-1 and F-2) were found to have two kinds of novel oligopeptides, showing very little similarity to other ACE inhibitory peptide sequences. The amino acid sequences of the two purified oligopeptides were found to be Gln-Phe-Tyr-Ala-Val (F-1) and Ala-Gly-Pro-Val-Leu-Leu (F-2), and their molecular masses were estimated to be 468.7 Da (F-1) and 357.7 Da (F-2), respectively. They all showed a clear antihypertensive effect on spontaneously hypertensive rats at a dosage of 500 mg/kg.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.10
• /
• pp.1613-1621
• /
• 2006

Isolation and identification of algal lytic bacteria were carried out. Nine strains of algal lytic bacteria were isolated by the double-layer method using Anabaena flos-aquae as a sole nutrient. The isolate, AFK-13, showing the highest algal lytic activity was identified as Sinorhizobium kostiense based on the l6S rDNA sequence. The algal lytic experiments of the culture supernatants of AFK-13 demonstrated that the bacterial cell growth reached a maximum at 36-h culture, but the supernatant of 72-h culture exhibited the highest activity. Components among the extracellular products in the crude enzyme of the supernatant from S. kostiense AFK-13 culture were responsible for degradation of cell walls of Anabaena flos-aquae. Algal lytic assay tests of the culture supernatants suggest that the main substances for algal lytic activity could be proteinaceous. The activity of glucosidase was observed highly by polysaccharolytic analysis using the crude enzyme from S. kostiense AFK-13, whereas activities of galactosidase, mannosidase, rhamnosidase, and arabinosidase were also detected in low levels. The molecular weights (MW) of ${\alpha}-\;and\;{\beta}$-glucosidases were estimated to be approximately 50-100 kDa by the ultrafiltration method.

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.37-40
• /
• 2017

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) is caused by accumulation of the glycosaminoglycans in all tissues due to decreased activity of the lysosomal enzyme. Patients exhibit multisystemic signs and symptoms in a chronic and progressive manner, especially with changes in the skeleton, cardiopulmonary system, central nervous system, cornea, skin, liver, and spleen. In the past, treatment of MPS was limited to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). The outcome for affected patients improved with the introduction of new technologies as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, relegated to specific situations after ERT became available. Intrathecal ERT may be considered in situations of high neurosurgical risk but still it is experimental in humans. New insights on the pathophysiology of MPS disorders are leading to alternative therapeutic approaches, as gene therapy, inflammatory response modulators and substrate reduction therapy. In this paper, we will highlight the recent novel treatment and clinical trials for MPS and discuss with the goal of fostering an understanding of this field.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.627-636
• /
• 2011

A commercially important alkaline protease, produced by Bacillus sp. RRM1 isolated from the red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty ex Silva, was first recognized and characterized in the present study. Identification of the isolated bacterium was done using both biochemical characterization as well as 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The bacterial strain, Bacillus sp. RRM1, produced a high level of protease using easily available, inexpensive agricultural residues solid-state fermentation (SSF). Among them, wheat bran was found to be the best substrate. Influences of process parameters such as moistening agents, moisture level, temperature, inoculum concentration, and co-carbon and co-nitrogen sources on the fermentation were also evaluated. Under optimized conditions, maximum protease production (i.e., 2081 U/g) was obtained from wheat bran, which is about 2-fold greater than the initial conditions. The protease enzyme was stable over a temperature range of 30-$60^{\circ}C$ and pH 6-12, with maximum activity at $50^{\circ}C$ and pH 9.0. Whereas the metal ions $Na^+$, $Ca^{2+}$, and $K^+$ enhanced the activity of the enzyme, others such as $Hg^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Fe^{2+}$, $Co^{2+}$, and $Zn^{2+}$ had rendered negative effects. The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by EDTA and enhanced by $Cu^{2+}$ ions, thus indicating the nature of the enzyme as a metalloprotease. The enzyme showed extreme stability and activity even in the presence of detergents, surfactants, and organic solvents. Moreover, the present findings opened new vistas in the utilization of wheat bran, a cheap, abundantly available, and effective waste as a substrate for SSF.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.274-280
• /
• 1998

An inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) was purified to homogeneity from rat duodenal mucosa for the first time and its enzymatic properties were investigated. Rat duodenal mucosa peculiarly exhibited the highest IMPase activity among various rat tissues examined. By means of ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by Q-Sepharose, polylysine agarose, reactive-red agarose column chromatography, Uno-Q FPLC, and Bio-Silect FPLC, duodenal IMPase was purified 223-fold to a specific activity of 13.6 U/mg protein. The molecular mass of the native enzyme was estimated to be 48,000 Da on gel filtration. The subunit molecular mass was determined by SDS-PAGE to be 24,000 Da. These results indicate that duodenal IMPase is a dime ric protein made up of identical subunits. Rat duodenal IMPase has distinct properties from brain IMPase. It has a broad spectrum of substrate specificity and is insensitive to $Li^+$. Duodenal IMPase does not absolutely require $Mg^{2+}$ for its catalytic activity. Furthermore, duodenal IMPase is less stable to heat than brain enzyme. It is suggested that the rat duodenal mucosa needs a large amount of IMPase whose properties are quite different from that of the brain enzyme.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.10
• /
• pp.1169-1175
• /
• 2009

An antifungal chitinase, ChiCW, produced by Bacillus cereus 28-9 is effective against conidial germination of Botrytis elliptica, the causal agent of lily leaf blight. ChiCW as a modular enzyme consists of a signal peptide, a catalytic domain, a fibronectin type-III-like domain, and a chitin-binding domain. When two C-terminal domains of ChiCW were truncated, $ChiCW{\Delta}FC$ (lacking the chitin-binding domain and fibronectin type III-like domain) lost its antifungal activity. Since $ChiCW{\Delta}C$ (lacking the chitin-binding domain) could not be expressed in Escherichia coli as $ChiCW{\Delta}FC$ did, a different strategy based on protein engineering technology was designed to investigate the involvement of the chitin-binding domain of ChiCW ($ChBD_{ChiCW}$) in antifungal activity in this study. Because ChiA1 of Bacillus circulans WL-12 is a modular enzyme with a higher hydrolytic activity than ChiCW but not inhibitory to conidial germination of Bo. elliptica and the similar domain composition of ChiA1 and ChiCW, the C-terminal truncated derivatives of ChiA1 were generated and used to construct chimeric chitinases with $ChBD_{ChiCW}$. When the chitin-binding domain of ChiA1 was replaced with $ChBD_{ChiCW}$, the chimeric chitinase named ChiAAAW exhibited both high enzyme activity and antifungal activity. The results indicate that $ChBD_{ChiCW}$ may play an important role in the antifungal activity of ChiCW.