• Mycobiology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.219-225
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• 2007

A keratinolytic enzyme secreted by Aspergillus flavus K-03 cultured in feather meal basal medium (FMBM) containing 2% (w/v) chicken feather was purified and characterized. Keratinolytic enzyme secretion was the maximal at day 16 of the incubation period at pH 8 and $28^{\circ}C$. No relationship was detected between enzyme yield and increase of fungal biomass. The fraction obtained at 80% ammonium sulfate saturation showed 2.39-fold purification and was further purified by gel filtration in Sephadex G-100 followed by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, yielding an active protein peak showing 11.53-fold purification. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and zymograms indicated that the purified keratinase is a monomeric enzyme with 31 kDa molecular weight. The extracellular keratinase of A. flavus was active in a board range of pH ($7{\sim}10$) and temperature ($30^{\circ}C{\sim}70^{\circ}C$) profiles with the optimal for keratinase activity at pH 8 and $45^{\circ}C$. The keratinase activity was totally inhibited by protease inhibitors such as phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), iodoacetic acid, and ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) while no reduction of activity by the addition of dithiothreitol (DTT) was observed. N-terminal amino acid sequences were up to 80% homologous with the fungal subtilisins produced by Fusarium culmorum. Therefore, on the basis of these characteristics, the keratinase of A. flavus K-03 is determined to be subtilisins-like.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 1994

A nuluk, a Korean traditional koji for brewing, was made with wheat flour and Aspergillus usamii mot. shirousamii S1 which had strong abilities in producing amylase and protease. The cultural conditions for the production of saccharogenic and proteolytic enzymes were tested. The productivities of saccharogenic and dextrogenic enzymes were improved when nuluk was made with unsteamed wheat flour as compared with steamed one, but those of proteolytic enzyme and organic acid were reduced. The addition of water containing 0.5% of hydrochloric acid was unfavorable for the production of saccharogenic, dextrogenic and proteolytic enzymes. The optimum ratios of water added to wheat flour for the production of saccharogenic enzyme and proteolytic enzyme were 32% and 28%, respectively on the basis of wheat flour. The optimum temperatures for the production of saccharogenic enzyme and proteolytic enzyme were 36$^{\circ}C$ and 28$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The activity of saccharogenic enzyme reached its maximum after 120 hours of cultivation at 36$^{\circ}C$, but that of proteolytic enzyme 96 hours. The productivity of saccharogenic enzyme was enhanced when the nuluk was molded after 24 hours of precultivation but that of proteolytic enzyme was reduced as compared with no molding.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1116-1121
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• 1997

Effects of gamma irradiation onf the activity and the properties(amino acid compositions, in vitro digestibility and SDS-PAGE pattern) of proteolytic enzymes were investigated. The proteolytic activity of soluble human serine protease, enzyme in kiwi and pineapple decreased 10% and 30~65% by 5 kGy and 30 kGy, respectively. In dried pancreatin and lysozyme, the proteolytic and antimicrobial activities decreased 6~14% and 10~20% by 5kGy and 40kGy, respectively. The analysis of above 10kGy-irradiated soluble human serine protease by SDS-PAGE revealed radiolysis of the enzyme into protein or peptides of lower molecular weights. The irradiation of skim milk, hammastein casein, and lysozyme up to 40kGy had no deleterious effect on either the in vitro digestibility or amino acid compositions.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2023

Thrombin is a serine protease that participates in a variety of biological signaling through protease-activated receptors. Intestinal myofibroblasts play central roles in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. In this study, we found that thrombin-induced apoptosis is mediated by the calcium-mediated activation of cytosolic phospholipase A₂ in the CCD-18Co cell. Thrombin reduced cell viability by inducing apoptosis and proteinase-activated receptor-1 antagonist attenuated thrombin-induced cell death. Endogenous ceramide did not affect the cell viability itself, but a ceramide-mediated pathway was involved in thrombin-induced cell death. Thrombin increased intracellular calcium levels and cytosolic phospholipase A₂ activity. The ceramide synthase inhibitor Fumonisin B1, intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA-AM, and cytosolic phospholipase A₂ inhibitor AACOCF₃ inhibited thrombin-induced cell death. Thrombin stimulated arachidonic acid release and reactive oxygen species generation, which was blocked by AACOCF₃, BAPTA-AM, and the antioxidant reagent Trolox. Taken together, thrombin triggered apoptosis through calcium-mediated activation of cytosolic phospholipase A₂ in intestinal myofibroblasts.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.95-97
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• 2000

A 17 kDa protein from Clonorchis sinensis adults was purified by a procedure including Sephacryl S-200 HR gel filtration and Q-Sepharose anion exchange chromatography. The protein was proved to be a cysteine protease as it showed hydrolytic activity toward Cbz-Phe-Arg-AMC in the presence of dithiothreitol and was inhibited by specific inhibitors such as iodoacetic acid or trans epoxy-succinly-L-leucyl-amido(4 guanidino) butane. The polyclonal antibody raised against the protein reacted to 17 kDa proteins of trematodes such as Paragonimuf westermani, Fasciola hepatica, Opisthorchis viverrini, Gymnophalloides seoi, and Metagonimus yokogawai. The antibody recognized the 17 kDa and 16 kDa cysteine proteases purified from C. sinensis, P. westemani, and G. seoi as well. These results suggest that the 17 kDa protein may be a cysteine protease commonly present in trematodes.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.176-178
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• 2000

V parahaemolyticus possessed an extracellular alkaline pretense activity during the stationary growth phase. Various factors such as nitrogen sources, the concentration of NaCl and metal ions were investigated for optimizing the production of alkaline pretense from V. parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802. Among the nitrogen sources tested skim milk showed the distinct increase of the activity and the activity was the highest at 2% in final concentration after 60 hours incubation. The addition of NaCl and metal ions did not increase the alkaline pretense activity. CoC$_2$, CuC1$_2$, and HgCl rather highly inhibited alkaline protease production.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2006

Bacillus sp. strain K-l, which produces a strong fibrinolytic enzyme, was isolated from chongkukjang, a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste. The fibrinolytic enzyme was purified from chongkukjang base by using ammonium sulfate fractionation and chromatographic techniques. Purified enzyme, CK K-1 was demonstrated to be homogeneous by SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing electrophoresis, and has molecular mass of a 12.4 kDa and a pI of 8.0. The optimal reaction pH value and temperature were 8.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. Phenyl-methyl-sulfonyl-fluoride (PMSF; serine protease inhibitor), ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA; metallo protease inhibitor), copper ion, ferric ion and lead ion inhibited the enzyme activity. These results indicated that the fibrinolytic enzyme is a metallo-serine protease and different from nattokinase and chongkukjangkinase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.129-133
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• 1993

The effect of different compositions of organic acids on the flavor profile of 10% sugar solution was investigated by the response surface methodology, and the results were used to evaluate the flavor characteristics of lactic acid fermented cereal beverages. A mixture of extruded rice flour (10%) and soymilk (7.8% dry matter) was fermented with Leuconostoc mesenteroides (Sikhae). Depending on the substrate pretreatments, for example, the malt or amylase digestion and the proteolytic enzyme hydrolysis, the sugar and organic acid composition of the product varied. The organic acid composition of the fermented beverages was in the ranges of 0.44-0.55% lactic acid, 0.05-0.09% acetic acid and 0.07-0.09% citric acid, while that of commercial apple juice was 1.59% malic acid and 0.49% acetic acid. The flavor profiles of fermented beverages added with 10% sucrose were compared to those of apple juice and a model mixture containing 0.48% citric acid, 0.39% lactic acid and 0.12% acetic acid in 10% sugar solution. The QDA diagram of fermented beverages approached to that of apple juice, when the substrate was digested by amylase but not by protease.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.59-61
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• 2000

The various extracellular enzymes produced by lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi were assayed to improve the shelf-life of kimchi. Peroxidase was not detected in all tested lactic acid bacteria and small amount of ascorbic acid oxidase was detected in Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus brevis. In case of $\alpha$-amylase, 27.8 and 20.9 unit/mg were shown in Pediococcus acidilactici and Pediococcus pentosaceus, respectively but $\beta$-amylase and protease activities were very low. The enzyme related to textural property of kimchi, pectinesterase showed low activity but polygalacturonase activity was 0.28 unit/mg in Lactobacillus homohiochii and 0.27 unit/mg in Lactobacillus plantarum.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.164-172
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• 2013

This study was carried out to investigate functional quality characteristics of extract obtained after sugar-leaching for 12 weeks (SLE) and extract obtained after lactic acid fermentation for 8 weeks (LFE) of mulberry leaves. The yield, sugar content, pH, and total acidity of SLE were 27%, 43 $^{\circ}Brix$, 4.6, and 0.45%. The yield, sugar content, pH, and total acidity of LFE were 166%, 33 $^{\circ}Brix$, 3.6, and 1.17% respectively. The lactic acid bacteria viable numbers ($1.2{\times}10^{10}$ CFU/ml) of LFE were more than those of SLE ($2.8{\times}10^2$ CFU/ml). The LFE expressed activities of hydrolytic enzymes (amylase, cellulase, pectinase, protease), but SLE did not express. The contents of acetic acid, citric acid, and malic acid of SLE were higher than those of LFE, but lactic acid content of LFE was higher than that of SLE. The main free sugars of SLE were glucose (200.93 mg/g), fructose (236.32 mg/g), and sucrose (18.41 mg/g), but LFE did not detect all free sugars. The contents of polyphenol, anthocyanin, and piperidine alkaloid of LFE were higher than those of SLE. ${\alpha}$-Glycosidase activities were inhibited 3.4% and 16.2% by SLE and LFE. These results suggest that lactic acid fermentation extraction is an effective method to increase the yield and contents of functional quality of mulberry leaves extract.