• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.571-577
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• 2017

Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important phytohormone involved in abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The group A bZIP transcription factors play important roles in the ABA signaling pathway in Arabidopsis but little is known about their functions in rice. In our current study, we have isolated and characterized a group A bZIP transcription factor in rice, OsABF3 (Oryza sativa ABA responsive element binding factor 3). We examined the expression patterns of OsABF3 in various tissues and time course analysis after abiotic stress treatments such as drought, salinity, cold, oxidative stress, and ABA in rice. Subcellular localization analysis in maize protoplasts using a GFP fusion vector further indicated that OsABF3 is a nuclear protein. Moreover, in a yeast one-hybrid experiment, OsABF3 was shown to bind to ABA responsive elements (ABREs) and its N-terminal region found to be necessary to transactivate a downstream reporter. A homozygous T-DNA insertional mutant of OsABF3 is more sensitive to salinity, drought, and oxidative stress compared with wild type plants ＆ OsABF3OX plants. In addition, this Osabf3 mutant showed a significantly decreased sensitivity to high levels of ABA at germination and post-germination. Collectively, our present results indicate that OsABF3 functions as a transcriptional regulator that modulates the expression of abiotic stress-responsive genes through an ABA-dependent pathway.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.956-961
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• 2022

Plant Chloroplast have several advantages as an expression platform of biopharmaceuticals over conventional expression platforms such as mammalian cells, yeast and bacteria. First, plants do not serve as a host for mammalian infectious virus and have endotoxin like bacteria which can cause anaphylactic shock. In addition, high copy number of chloroplast genome allows for chloroplast transformants to reach the high level of expression of heterologous genes. Moreover, the integration of transgenes into specific region of chloroplast genomes makes chloroplast transformants unaffected by positional effect which can be frequently observed from nuclear transformants, resulting in loss of transgene expressions. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a kind of innate immunity which is found from bacteria to humans. Unlike conventional antibiotics, very less dosage of AMPs can have catastrophic effect on bacterial survival. Further, the repeated use of AMPs does not trigger the development of bacterial resistance. Moricin, one of the AMPs, was isolated from Bombyx mori, a silkworm moth. The C-terminal of moricin consists largely of basic amino acids, and the N-terminal has an α-helix structure. Moricin was chosen and expressed in a SUMO/SUMOase without leaving any unwanted amino acids which could potentially affect the anti-bacterial activity of the moricin. The transformation vector used in this study has already been created in this lab for the expression in both prokaryotic systems such as E. coli and chloroplast. The expressed moricin was purified using Ni columns and SUMOase, and the antibacterial activity of the purified moricin was confirmed using an agar diffusion assay.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.915-921
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• 2001

Phytase improves the bioavailability of phytate phosphorus in plant foods to humans and animals, and reduces the phosphorus pollution of animal waste. In order to express a high level of fungal phytase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, various expression vectors were constructed with different combinations of promoters, translation enhancers, signal peptides, and terminator. Three different promoters fused to the phytase gene (phyA) from Aspergillus niger were tested: a galactokinase (GAL1) promoter, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) promoter, and yeast hybrid ADH2-GPD promoter consisting of alcohol dehydrogenase II (ADH2) and a GPD promoter. The signal peptides of phytase, glucose oxidase (GO), and rice amylase 1A(RAmy1A) were included. Plus, the translation enhancers of the ${\Omega}$ sequence and UTR70 from the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and spinach, respectively, were also tested. Among the recombinant vectors, pGphyA06 containing the GPD promoter, the ${\Omega}$ sequence, RAmy1A, and GAL7 terminator expressed the highest phytase activity in a culture filtrate, which was estimated at 20 IU/ml. An intracellular localization of the expressed phytase activity in a culture filtrate, which was estimated at 20 IU/ml. An intracellular localization of the expressed phytase was also performed by inserting an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal, KDEL sequence, into the C-terminus of the phytase within the vector pHphyA-6. It appeared that the KDEL sequence directed most of the early expression of phytase into the intracellular compartment yet more than $60\%$ of the total phytase activity was still retained within the cell even after the prolonged (>3 days) incubation of the transformant. However, the intracellular enzyme activity of the transformant without a KDEL sequence was as high as that of the extracellular one, thereby strongly suggesting that the secretion of phytase in S. cerevisiae appeared to be the rate-limiting step for the expression of a large amount of extracellular recombinant phytase, when compared with other yeasts.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.282-291
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• 2004

Phytases catalyze the release of phosphate from phytic acid. Phytase-producing microorganisms were selected by culturing the soil extracts on agar plates containing phytic acid. Two hundred colonies that exhibited potential phytase activity were selected for further study. The colony showing the highest phytase activity was identified as Aspergillus niger and designated strain 113. The phytase gene from A. niger 113 (phyI1) was isolated, cloned, and characterized. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence identity between phyI1 and phyA from NRRL3135 were 90% and 98%, respectively. The identity between phyI1 and phyA from SK-57 was 89% and 96%. A synthetic phytase gene, phyI1s, was synthesized by successive PCR and transformed into the yeast expression vector carrying a signal peptide that was designed and synthesized using P. pastoris biased codon. For the phytase expression and secretion, the construct was integrated into the genome of P. pastoris by homologous recombination. Over-expressing strains were selected and fermented. It was discovered that ~4.2 g phytase could be purified from one liter of culture fluid. The activity of the resulting phytase was 9.5 U/mg. Due to the heavy glycosylation, the expressed phytase varied in size (120, 95, 85, and 64 kDa), but could be deglycosylated to a homogeneous 64 kDa species. An enzymatic kinetics analysis showed that the phytase had two pH optima (pH 2.0 and pH 5.0) and an optimum temperature of $60^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.9 s.89
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• pp.1248-1254
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• 2007

The secretory overexpression of Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanase A gene (celA) was examined in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using Kluyveromyces marxianus exoinulinase (INU1) signal sequence and GAL10 promoter. The two plasmids, pYEG-CT1 with its own signal sequence, and pYInu-CT1 with INU1 signal sequence were introduced to S. cerevisiae SEY2102 and S. cerevisiae 2805 host strains, respectively, and then each transformant was selected on the synthetic defined media lacking uracil. The expression level and secretion efficiency of endoglucanase A was increased by $18{\sim}22%$ and 11%, respectively, by INU1 signal sequence over celA signal sequence. By considering the high level of expression (361 unit/I), plasmid stability (89%), and secretion efficiency (70%), S. cerevisiae 2805 harboring plasmid pYInu-CT1 was selected as the opti-mal host vector system for the production of cellulose-degrading enzyme and recombinant yeast probiotic. The total expression and secretion efficiency of endoglucanase A was 418 unit/l and 73%, respectively, in the batch fermentation of S. cerevisiae 2805/pYlnu-CT1 on galactose medium. The mo-lecular weight of secreted endoglucanase A was found to be greater than 100 kDa, presumably due to the N-linked glycosylation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1563-1570
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• 2010

To construct a highly sensitive detection system for endocrine disruptors (EDs), we have compared the activity of promoters with the n-alkane-inducible cytochrome P450 gene (ALK1), isocitrate lyase gene (ICL1), ribosomal protein S7 gene (RPS7), and the translation elongation factor-1${\alpha}$ gene (TEF1) for the heterologous gene in Yarrowia lipolytica. The promoters were introduced into the upstream of the lacZ or hERa reporter genes, respectively, and the activity was evaluated by ${\beta}$-galactosidase assay for lacZ and Western blot analysis for hER${\alpha}$. The expression analysis revealed that the ALK1 and ICL1 promoters were induced by n-decane and by EtOH, respectively. The constitutive promoter of RPS7 and TEF1 showed mostly a high level of expression in the presence of glucose and glycerol, respectively. In particular, the TEF1 promoter showed the highest ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity and a significant signal by Western blotting with the anti-estrogen receptor, compared with the other promoters. Moreover, the detection system was constructed with promoters linked to the upstream of the expression vector for the hER${\alpha}$ gene transformed into the Y. lipolytica with a chromosome-integrated lacZ reporter gene under the control of estrogen response elements (EREs). It was indicated that a combination of pTEF1p-hER${\alpha}$ and CXAU1-2XERE was the most effective system for the $E_2$-dependent induction of the ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity. This system showed the highest ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity at $10^{-6}\;M\;E_2$, and the activity could be detected at even the concentration of $10^{-10}\;M\;E_2$. As a result, we have constructed a strongly sensitive detection system with Y. lipolitica to evaluate recognized/suspected ED chemicals, such as natural/synthetic hormones, pesticides, and commercial chemicals. The results demonstrate the utility, sensitivity, and reproducibility of the system for identifying and characterizing environmental estrogens.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2010

Many studies propose that dysfunction of mitochondrial proton-translocating NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) is associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Mammalian mitochondrial proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (complex I) consists of at least 46 different subunits. In contrast, the NDI1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a single subunit rotenone-insensitive NADH-quinone oxidoreductase that is located on the matrix side of the inner mitochondrial membrane. With a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector carrying the NDI1 gene (rAAV-NDI1) as the gene delivery method, we were able to attain high transduction efficiencies even in the human epithelial cervical cancer cells that are difficult to transfect by lipofection or calcium phosphate precipitation methods. Using a rAAV-NDI1, we demonstrated that the Ndi1 enzyme is successfully expressed in HeLa cells. The expressed Ndi1 enzyme was recognized to be localized in mitochondria by confocal immunofluorescence microscopic analyses and immunoblotting. Using digitonin-permeabilized cells, it was shown that the NADH oxidase activity of the NDI1-transduced HeLa cells were not affected by rotenone which is inhibitor of complex I, but was inhibited by flavone and antimycin A. The NDI1-transduced cells were able to grow in media containing rotenone. In contrast, control cells that did not receive the NDI1 gene failed to survive. In particular, in the NDI1-transduced cells, the yeast enzyme becomes integrated into the human respiratory chain. It is concluded that the NDI1 gene provides a potentially useful tool for gene therapy of mitochondrial diseases caused by complex I deficiency.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.683-689
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• 2005

Antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAb) is the important serological marker of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Conventionally, the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) obtained from the plasma of HBV carriers is used as the diagnostic antigen for detection of HBsAb. This blood-origin antigen has some disadvantages involved in high cost, over-elaborate preparation, risk of infection, et al. In an attempt to explore the suitable recombinant HBsAg for the diagnostic purpose, the HBV S gene was expressed in Pichia pastoris and the product was applied for detection of HBsAb. Hepatitis B virus S gene was inserted into the yeast vector and the expressed product was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrolamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblot, electronic microscope and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The preparations of synthesized S protein were applied to detect HBsAb by sandwich ELISA. The S gene encoding the 226 amino acid of HBsAg carrying ahexa-histidine tag at C terminus was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The His-Tagged S protein in this strain was expressed at a level of about 14.5% of total cell protein. Immunoblot showed the recombinant HBsAg recognized by monoclonal HBsAb and there was no cross reaction between all proteins from the host and normal sera. HBsAb detection indicated that the sensitivity reached 10 mIu (micro international unit)/ml and the specificity was 100% with HBsAb standard of National Center for Clinical Laboratories. A total of 293 random sera were assayed using recombinant S protein and a commercial HBsAb ELISA kit (produced by blood-origin HBsAg), 35 HBsAb positive sera and 258 HBsAb negative sera were examined. The same results were obtained with two different reagents and there was no significant difference in the value of S/CO between the two reagents. The recombinant HBV S protein with good immunoreactivity and specificity was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The reagent for HBsAb detection prepared by Pichia pastoris-derived S protein showed high sensitivity and specificity for detection of HBsAb standard. And a good correlation was obtained between the reagent produced by recombinant S protein and commercial kit produced by blood-origin HBsAg in random samples.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.317-323
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• 2016

An isoflavone glucosidase that catalyzes the hydrolysis of isoflavone glucosides into glucose and corresponding aglycones was purified from Candida fermentati SI. The N-terminal sequence was determined to be GLNCDYCN. We designed degenerate primers on the basis of these amino acid sequences and successfully cloned the full structural gene sequence of the isoflavone glucosidase using inverse PCR. The exo-β-(1,3)-glucanase gene consists of 1227 base-pair nucleotides, encoding a 408-amino-acid sequence that shares 41–96% amino acid homology with other yeast exo-β-(1,3)-glucanases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 5. The recombinant exo-β-(1,3)-glucanase was expressed in Pichia pastoris X-33, using a pPICZA vector system, and further characterized. The molecular mass of the purified exo-β-(1,3)-glucanase was estimated by SDS-PAGE to be 47 kDa. The optimal pH and temperature were pH 4.5 and 40℃, respectively. The K_m values of the purified exo-β-(1,3)-glucanase for daidzin and genistin were 0.12 mM and 0.14 mM, respectively. The V_max values of the purified isoflavone glucosidase were 945.03 U/mg for daidzin and 835.92 U/mg and for genistin.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 1997

Sporulation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been regarded as an important model of cellular development and differentiation. S. pombe cells proliferate by mitosis and binary fission on growth medium. Deprivation of nutrients especially nitrogen sources, causes the cessation of mitosis and initiates sexual reproduction by malting between two sexually compatible cell types. Meiosis is then followed in a diploid cell in the absence of nitrogen source. DNA fragment complemented with the mutations of sporulation gene was isolated from the S. pombe gene library constructed in the vector, pDB 248' and designated as pDB (spo 5)1. We futher analyzed six recombinant plasmids, pDB (spo 5)2, pDB(spo 5)3, pDB(spo 5)4, pDB(spo 5)5, pDB(spo 5)6, pDB(spo 5)7, and found each plasmids is able to rescue the spo 5-2, spo 5-3, spo 5-4, spo 5-5, spo 5-6, spo 5-7, mutations, respectively. Mapping of the integrated plasmid into the homologous site of the S. pombe chromosomes demonstrated that pDB (spo 5)1, and pDB (spo 5)R1 contained the spo 5 gene. Transcipts of spo 5 gene were analyzed by Northern hybridization. Two transcripts of 3.2 kb and 25 kb were detected with 5 kb Hind III fragment containing a part of the spo 5 gene as a probe. The small mRNA (2.5 kb) appeared only when a wild-type strain was cultured in the absence of nitrogen source in which condition the large mRNA (3.2 kb) was produced constitutively. Appearance of a 2.5 kb spo 5-mRNA depends upon the function of the mei1, mei2 and mei3 genes.