• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.245-253
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• 2014

A fibrinolytic enzyme was produced by an edible mushroom of Pleurotus ostreatus using submerged culture fermentation. The enzyme was purified from the culture supernatant by applying a combination of freeze-thaw treatment, ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic interaction, and gel filtration chromatographies. The enzyme was purified by a 147-fold, with a yield of 7.54%. The molecular masses of the enzyme an determined by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE were 13.6 and 18.2 kDa, respectively. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 8.52. It hydrolyzed fibrinogen by cleaving the ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ chains of fibrinogen followed by the ${\gamma}$ chains, and also activated plasminogen into plasmin. The enzyme was optimally active at $45^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.4. The enzyme activity was completely inhibited by EDTA, whereas protease inhibitors of TPCK, SBTI, PMSF, aprotinin and pepstatin showed no inhibition on its activity. The partial amino acid sequences of the enzyme as determined by Q-TOF2 were ATFVGCSATR, GGTLIHESSHFTR, and YTTWFGTFVTSR. These sequences showed a high degree of homology with those of metallo-endopeptidases from P. ostreatus and Armillaria mellea. The purified enzyme can also be applied as a natural agent for oral fibrinolytic therapy or prevention of thrombosis.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.711-717
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• 2018

Human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) can stimulate the division of various cell types and has potential clinical applications. Since the protein contains three intra-molecular disulfide bonds, the high expression of active hEGF in Escherichia coli has not been well researched, We fused the hEGF gene with a small ubiquitin-related modifier gene (SUMO) by synthesizing an artificial SUMO-hEGF fusion gene that was highly expressed in E. coli (DE3) strain. The optimal expression level of the soluble fusion protein, SUMO-hEGF with IPTG (Isopropyl-${\beta}$-D-Thiogalactopyranoside), was up to 38.9% of the total cellular protein. The fusion protein was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and cleaved by a SUMO-specific protease to obtain the native hEGF, which was further purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The result of the reverse-phase HPLC showed that the purity of the recombinant cleaved hEGF was greater than 98%.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.764-777
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• 2023

Recombinant immunotoxins (RITs) are fusion proteins consisting of a targeting domain linked to a toxin, offering a highly specific therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, we engineered and characterized RITs aimed at mesothelin, a cell surface glycoprotein overexpressed in various malignancies. Through an extensive screening of a large nanobody library, four mesothelin-specific nanobodies were selected and genetically fused to a truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE24B). Various optimizations, including the incorporation of furin cleavage sites, maltose-binding protein tags, and tobacco etch virus protease cleavage sites, were implemented to improve protein expression, solubility, and purification. The RITs were successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli, achieving high solubility and purity post-purification. In vitro cytotoxicity assays on gastric carcinoma cell lines NCI-N87 and AGS revealed that Meso(Nb2)-PE24B demonstrated the highest cytotoxic efficacy, warranting further characterization. This RIT also displayed selective binding to human and monkey mesothelins but not to mouse mesothelin. The competitive binding assays between different RIT constructs revealed significant alterations in IC₅₀ values, emphasizing the importance of nanobody specificity. Finally, a modification in the endoplasmic reticulum retention signal at the C-terminus further augmented its cytotoxic activity. Our findings offer valuable insights into the design and optimization of RITs, showcasing the potential of Meso(Nb2)-PE24B as a promising therapeutic candidate for targeted cancer treatment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.183-189
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• 2010

A fibrinolytic enzyme producing Bacillus sp. J-19 was isolated from the popular Korean seasoning, pickled anchovy. The fibrinolytic enzyme was purified to homogeneity by chromatographic methods including ethanol precipitation and gel-filtration using Sephadex G-50. Compared to the crude enzyme extract, the specific activity of the enzyme increased 1021-fold with a recovery of 23%. The purified enzyme was estimated to be approximately 45 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Especially, the amidolytic activity in the presence of the synthetic substrate for serine protease (H-D-Ile-Pro-Arg-pNA, S-2288) represented approximately 17 U/mg. In addition, more than the 60% activity of the 45 kDa fibrinolytic activity was maintained in the presence of up to 30% (w/v) sodium chloride. These findings could provide a unique fibrinolytic enzyme, leading to a potential thrombolytic agent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1295-1300
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• 2009

A 2,172-bp full-length gene (aga-F78), encoding a protease-resistant $\alpha$-galactosidase, was cloned from Rhizopus sp. F78 and expressed in Escherichia coli. The deduced amino acid sequence shared highest identity (45.0%) with an $\alpha$-galactosidase of glycoside hydrolase family 36 from Absidia corymbifera. After one-step purification with a Ni-NTA chelating column, the recombinant Aga-F78 migrated as a single band of ~82 and ~210 kDa on SDS-PAGE and nondenaturing gradient PAGE, respectively, indicating that the native structure of the recombinant Aga-F78 was a trimer. Exhibiting the similar properties as the authentic protein, purified recombinant Aga-F78 was optimally active at $50^{\circ}C$ and pH 4.8, highly pH stable over the pH range 5.0-10.0, more resistant to some cations and proteases, and had wide substrate specificity (pNPG, melidiose, raffinose, and stachyose). The recombinant enzyme also showed good hydrolytic ability to soybean meal, releasing galactose of $415.58\;{\mu}g/g$ soybean meal. When combined with trypsin, the enzyme retained over 90% degradability to soybean meal. These favorable properties make Aga-F78 a potential candidate for applications in the food and feed industries.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.679-682
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• 2008

A lactic acid bacterium producing an antimicrobial substance against Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated from raw milk and identified as Lactobacillus amylovorus ME-1. In addition to E. coli O157 :H7, the antimicrobial substance also inhibited the growth of Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyrogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica. The antimicrobial substance was stable at pH 2-12 and $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min and insensitive to proteinase K, protease, amylase, and catalase. Purification of the antimicrobial substance was conducted through methanol and acetonitrile/ethylacetate extraction, ultrafiltration with a 500 Da cutoff, thin layer chromatography (TLC) with silicagel 60, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a $C_{18}$ reverse phase column. The ${\lambda}_{max}$ of the purified antimicrobial substance was determined as 192 nm by ultra violet (UV) scanning, while the molecular weight was estimated as 453 Da based on the mass spectrum. Accordingly, the current results suggest that the antimicrobial substance from the L. amylovorus ME-1 was not a bacteriocin, but rather a new non-proteinaceous substance distinct from acidophilin, acidolin, diacetyl, and reuterin.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2006

Enterococcus faecalis was isolated from the body fluid of dead Galleria mellonella larvae. Upon injection of E. faecalis into the hemocoel of G. mellonella, the bacteria destroyed parts of humoral defense systems in the hemolymph. In a test for the proteolytic activity of E. faecalis CS, it was confirmed that the enzyme degraded three well-known a-helical antimicrobial peptides, cecropin A, melittin and halocidin, and abolished their activities. We also determined putative cleavage sites on the primary sequences of three peptides through purification and mass analysis of peptide fragments digested by E. faecalis CS. Furthermore it was found that apolipophorin-III, recently known as a critical recognition protein for invading microbes in the hemolymph of G. mellonella, was also degraded by E. faecalis CS. Taken together, the present work shows that the protease in secretions from E. faecalis destroyed two critical humoral immune factors in the hemolymph of G. mellonella larvae. In addition, this paper demonstrates that the relationship between the host insect and the pathogenic bacteria might provide a valuable model system to study the enterococcal virulence mechanism, which may be relevant to mammalian pathogenesis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.314-322
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• 2018

Bacillus subtilis 8 is highly efficient at degrading feather keratin. We observed integrated feather degradation over the course of 48 h in basic culture medium while studying the entire process with scanning electron microscopy. Large amounts of ammonia, sulfite, and $\text\tiny{L}$-cysteic acid were detected in the fermented liquid. In addition, four enzymes (gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, peptidase T, serine protease, and cystathionine gamma-synthase) were identified that play an important role in this degradation pathway, all of which were verified with molecular cloning and prokaryotic expression. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first to demonstrate that cystathionine gamma-synthase secreted by B. subtilis 8 is involved in the decomposition of feather keratin. This study provides new data characterizing the molecular mechanism of feather degradation by bacteria, as well as potential guidance for future industrial utilization of waste keratin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1337-1345
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• 2014

A novel antifungal protein produced by the fungal strain Penicillium citrinum W1, which was isolated from a Southwest Indian Ocean sediment sample, was purified and characterized. The culture supernatant of P. citrinum W1 inhibited the mycelial growth of some plant pathogenic fungi. After saturation of P. citrinum W1 culture supernatants with ammonium sulfate and ion-exchange chromatography, an antifungal protein (PcPAF) was purified. The N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis showed that PcPAF might be an unknown antifungal protein. PcPAF displayed antifungal activity against Trichoderma viride, Fusarium oxysporum, Paecilomyces variotii, and Alternaria longipes at minimum inhibitory concentrations of 1.52, 6.08, 3.04, and $6.08{\mu}g/disc$, respectively. PcPAF possessed high thermostability and had a certain extent of protease and metal ion resistance. The results suggested that PcPAF may represent a novel antifungal protein with potential application in controlling plant pathogenic fungal infection.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.26 no.4 s.87
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• pp.583-588
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• 1998

A fibrinolytic enzyme has been isolated from the edible honey mushroom, Armillariella mellea and purified. The apparent molecular mass of purified enzyme was estimated to be 19800Da by SDS polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis and 19900Da by gel filtration, indicating that it was a monomer. The enzyme was optimal at pH 7, suggesting that the purified enzyme was a neutral proteinase. It shows the maximum fibrinolytic activity at $55^{\circ}C$, is completely inactivated above $65^{\circ}C$, and still indicates 40% of activity at $37^{\circ}C$. The fibrinolytic activity has been decreased by the addition of EDTA. Fifteen amino acid sequence was determined by protein sequencing techniques.