• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.199-202
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• 2014

The bioconversion of cellulosic biomass hydrolyzates consisting mainly of glucose and xylose requires the use of engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing a heterologous xylose pathway. However, there is concern that a fungal xylose pathway consisting of NADPH-specific xylose reductase (XR) and $NAD^+$-specific xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) may result in a cellular redox imbalance. However, the glycerol biosynthesis and glycerol degradation pathways of S. cerevisiae, termed here as the glycerol cycle, has the potential to balance the cofactor requirements for xylose metabolism, as it produces NADPH by consuming NADH at the expense of one mole of ATP. Therefore, this study tested if the glycerol cycle could improve the xylose metabolism of engineered S. cerevisiae by cofactor balancing, as predicted by an in-silico analysis using elementary flux mode (EFM). When the GPD1 gene, the first step of the glycerol cycle, was overexpressed in the XR/XDH-expressing S. cerevisiae, the glycerol production significantly increased, while the xylitol and ethanol yields became negligible. The reduced xylitol yield suggests that enough $NAD^+$ was supplied for XDH by the glycerol cycle. However, the GPD1 overexpression completely shifted the carbon flux from ethanol to glycerol. Thus, moderate expression of GPD1 may be necessary to achieve improved ethanol production through the cofactor balancing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1403-1411
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• 2023

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most abundant component of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and directly creates environmental issues such as global warming and climate change. Carbon capture and storage have been proposed mainly to solve the problem of increasing CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere; however, more emphasis has recently been placed on its use. Among the many methods of using CO₂, one of the key environmentally friendly technologies involves biologically converting CO₂ into other organic substances such as biofuels, chemicals, and biomass via various metabolic pathways. Although an efficient biocatalyst for industrial applications has not yet been developed, biological CO₂ conversion is the needed direction. To this end, this review briefly summarizes seven known natural CO₂ fixation pathways according to carbon number and describes recent studies in which natural CO₂ assimilation systems have been applied to heterogeneous in vivo and in vitro systems. In addition, studies on the production of methanol through the reduction of CO₂ are introduced. The importance of redox cofactors, which are often overlooked in the CO₂ assimilation reaction by enzymes, is presented; methods for their recycling are proposed. Although more research is needed, biological CO₂ conversion will play an important role in reducing GHG emissions and producing useful substances in terms of resource cycling.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.479-487
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• 2009

Glutathione reductase (GR) is an enzyme that recycles a key cellular antioxidant molecule glutathione (GSH) from its oxidized form (GSSG) thus maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. A recombinant plasmid to overexpress a GR of Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis (BrGR) in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was constructed using an expression vector pKM260. Expression of the introduced gene was confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting and enzyme assays. Purification of the BrGR protein was performed by IMAC method and indicated that the BrGR was a dimmer. The BrGR required NADPH as a cofactor and specific activity was approximately 458 U. The BrGR-expressing E. coli cells showed increased GR activity and tolerance to $H_2O_2$, menadione, and heavy metal ($CdCl_2$, $ZnCl_2$ and $AlCl_2$)-mediated growth inhibition. The ectopic expression of BrGR provoked the co-regulation of a variety of antioxidant enzymes including catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Consequently, the transformed cells showed decreased hydroperoxide levels when exposed to stressful conditions. A proteomic analysis demonstrated the higher level of induction of proteins involved in glycolysis, detoxification/oxidative stress response, protein folding, transport/binding proteins, cell envelope/porins, and protein translation and modification when exposed to $H_2O_2$ stress. Taken together, these results indicate that the plant GR protein is functional in a cooperative way in the E. coli system to protect cells against oxidative stress.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.464-474
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• 2021

Bacterial cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are responsible for the hydroxylation of diverse endogenous substances with a heme molecule used as a cofactor. This study characterized two CYP154C3 proteins from Streptomyces sp. W2061 (CYP154C3-1) and Streptomyces sp. KCCM40643 (CYP154C3-2). The enzymatic activity assays of both CYPs conducted using heterologous redox partners' putidaredoxin and putidaredoxin reductase showed substrate flexibility with different steroids and exhibited interesting product formation patterns. The enzymatic characterization revealed good activity over a pH range of 7.0 to 7.8 and the optimal temperature range for activity was 30 to 37℃. The major product was the C16-hydroxylated product and the kinetic profiles and patterns of the generated hydroxylated products differed between the two enzymes. Both enzymes showed a higher affinity toward progesterone, with CYP154C3-1 demonstrating slightly higher activity than CYP154C3-2 for most of the substrates. Oxidizing agents (diacetoxyiodo) benzene (PIDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were also utilized to actively support the redox reactions, with optimum conversion achieved at concentrations of 3 mM and 65 mM, respectively. The oxidizing agents affected the product distribution, influencing the type and selectivity of the CYP-catalyzed reaction. Additionally, CYP154C3s also catalyzed the C-C bond cleavage of steroids. Therefore, CYP154C3s may be a good candidate for the production of modified steroids for various biological uses.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.200-205
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• 1997

Bothl $Ca^{2+}$ and Sr$^{2+}$-containing methanol dehydrogenases (MDH) were purified to homogeneity with yields of 48% and 42%, respectively, from Methylabacillus methanolovorus sp. strain SK5. Most of the biochemical and structural properties were similar to each other. However, some differences were found: (1) although the overall shape of the absorption spectrum of Sr$^{2+}$-MDH was very similar to that of $Ca^{2+}$-MDH, the absorption intensity originating from the cofactor in Sr$^{2+}$. MDH was higher than that in $Ca^{2+}$-MDH. Small blue shift of the maximum was also observed. These are probably due to a difference in redox state of the cofactors in $Ca^{2+}$ and Sr$^{2+}$-MDH; (2) Sr$^{2+}$-MDH was more heat-stable than $Ca^{2+}$-MDH above 56$^{\circ}C$; (3) the V$_{max}$ values for the methanol-dependent activities of Sr$^{2+}$- and $Ca^{2+}$-MDH in the presence of 3 mM KCN were 2.038 and 808 nmol/mg protein/min, respectively. In addition, the $K_{m}$ values of Sr$^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$ MDH for methanol were 12 and 21 $\mu$M, respectively; (4) the endogenous activity of $Ca^{2+}$-MDH was more sensitive than that of Sr$^{2+}$-MDH in the presence of cyanide; (5) Diethyl pyrocarbonate treatment increased the enzyme activities of $Ca^{2+}$- and Sr$^{2+}$-MDH 4.2- and 1.4-folds, respectively. These results indicate that Sr$^{2+}$ stabilizes the structural conformation and enhances the activity of MDH more than $Ca^{2+}$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.154-162
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• 2021

L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) is one of the biological active forms of folate, which is widely used as a nutraceutical. However, low yield and serious pollution associated with the chemical synthesis of 5-MTHF hampers its sustainable supply. In this study, 5-MTHF production was improved by engineering the 5-MTHF biosynthesis pathway and NADPH supply in Lactococcus lactis for developing a green and sustainable biosynthesis approach. Specifically, overexpressing the key rate-limiting enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase led to intracellular 5-MTHF accumulation, reaching 18 ㎍/l. Next, 5-MTHF synthesis was further enhanced by combinatorial overexpression of 5-MTHF synthesis pathway enzymes with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, resulting in 1.7-fold enhancement. The folate supply pathway was strengthened by expressing folE encoding GTP cyclohydrolase I, which increased 5-MTHF production 2.4-fold to 72 ㎍/l. Furthermore, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was overexpressed to improve the redox cofactor NADPH supply for 5-MTHF biosynthesis, which led to a 60% increase in intracellular NADPH and a 35% increase in 5-MTHF production (97 ㎍/l). To reduce formation of the by-product 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, overexpression of 5-formyltetrahydrofolate cyclo-ligase converted 5-formyltetrahydrofolate to 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate, which enhanced the 5-MTHF titer to 132 ㎍/l. Finally, combinatorial addition of folate precursors to the fermentation medium boosted 5-MTHF production, reaching 300 ㎍/l. To the best of our knowledge, this titer is the highest achieved by L. lactis. This study lays the foundation for further engineering of L. lactis for efficient 5-MTHF biosynthesis.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2012

The $[Fe_4S_4]^{2+}$ clusters with 2-, 3-, and 4-pyridinemethanethiolate (S2-Pic, S3-Pic, and S4-Pic, respectively) terminal ligands have been synthesized from the ligand substitution reaction of the $(^nBu_4N)_2[Fe_4S_4Cl_4]$ (I) cluster. The new $(^nBu_4N)_2[Fe_4S_4(SR)_4]$ (R = 2-Pic; II, 3-Pic; III, 4-Pic; IV) clusters were characterized by FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Cluster II was crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 24.530 (5) $\AA$, b = 24.636(4) $\AA$, c = 21.762(4) $\AA$, ${\beta}=103.253(3)^{\circ}$, and Z = 8. The X-ray structure of II showed two unique 2:2 site-differentiated $[Fe_4S_4]^{2+}$ clusters due to the bidentate-mode coordination by 2-pyridinemethanethiolate ligands. Cluster III was crystallized in the same monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 26.0740(18) $\AA$, b = 23.3195(16) $\AA$, c = 22.3720(15) $\AA$, ${\beta}=100.467(2)^{\circ}$, and Z = 8. The 3-pyridinemethanethiolate ligand of III was coordinated to the $[Fe_4S_4]^{2+}$ core as a terminal mode. Cluster IV with 4-pyridinemethanethiolate ligands was found to have a similar structure to the cluster III. Fully reversible $[Fe_4S_4]^{2+}/[Fe_4S_4]^+$ redox waves were observed from all three clusters by cyclic voltammetry measurement. The electrochemical potentials for the $[Fe_4S_4]^{2+}/[Fe_4S_4]^+$ transition decreased in the order of II, III and IV, and the reduction potential changes by the ligands were explained based on the structural differences among the complexes. The complex III was reacted with sulfonium salt of $[PhMeSCH_2-p-C_6H_4CN](BF_4)$ in MeCN to test possible radical-involving reaction as a functional model of the [$Fe_4S_4$]-SAM (S-adenosylmethionine) cofactor. However, the isolated reaction products of 3-pyridinemethanethiolate-p-cyanobenzylsulfide and thioanisole suggested that the reaction followed an ionic mechanism and the products formed from the terminal ligand attack to the sulfonium.