• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.68-76
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• 2001

We have employed chemical modification to identify amino acids essential for the catalytic activity of alliinase (EC 4.4.1.4) from garlic (Allium sativum). Alliinase degrades S-alkyl-L cysteine sulfoxides, causing the characteristic odor of garlic. The activity of alliinase was rapidly and completely inactivated by N-bromosuccinimide(NBS) and slightly decreased by succinic anhydride and N-acetylimidazole. These results indicate that tryptophanyl, lysyl, and tyrosyl residues play an important role in enzyme catalysis. The reaction of alliinase with NBA yielded a characteristic decrease in both the absorbance at 280 nm and the intrinsic fluorescence at 332 nm with increasing reagent concentration of NBS, consistent with the oxidation of tryptophan residues. Kinetic analysis, fluorometric titration of tryptophans and correlation to residual alliinase activity showed that modification of only one residue present on alliinase led to complete inhibition of alliinase activity. To identify this essential tryptophan residue, we employed chemical modification by NBS in the presence and absence of the protecting substrate analogue, S-ethyl-L-cysteine (SEC) and N-terminal sequence analysis of peptide fragment isolated by reverse phase-HPLC. A fragment containing residues 179-188 was isolated. We conclude that Trp182 is essential for alliinase activity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.457-467
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• 2005

Open reading frame (ORF) 3 on the Choristoneura fumiferana granulovirus (ChfuGV), located in the 11 kb fragment of the BamHI genomic bank encodes a predicted 32-kDa putative kinase protein. Bioinformatics analysis on the predicted amino acid sequence of ChfuGV PK-1 revealed the existence of 11 catalytic subdomains. Sequence analysis within the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of ChfuGV pk-1 indicates the presence of both putative early and late promoter motifs, indicating that pk-1 may be expressed throughout the infection cycle. Promoter sequence analysis reveals that pk-1 is deprived of a TATA box and appears instead to be regulated by other cis-acting transcriptional regulatory elements. Temporal transcription analysis by RT-PCR confirms the appearance of transcripts detected from 2 h p.i. until 72 h p.i. Northern blot hybridization characterizes pk-1 transcription as a 1.2 kb transcript. Homology comparisons reveal that ChfuGV PK-1 protein is most closely related to Phthorimaea operculalla granulovirus (PoGV) with 80% amino acid identity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.255-259
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• 1999

A 6.9-kb DNA fragment including the minimal Bacillus pasteurii urease gene cluster was subcloned into a high-copy-number plasmid vector, pUC19, and the recombinant B. pasteurii urease was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant urease was purified 25.9-fold by using combinations of anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography followed by Mono-Q chromatography on a FPLC. N-terminal peptide sequencing analyses revealed that two distinct smaller peptide bands resolved on a 10-18％ gradient SDS-PAGE corresponded to UreA and UreB peptides, respectively. It was also shown that the ureB gene was translated from a GUG codon and the first methionine residue was post-translationally cleaved off. The native molecular weight of the recombinant urease was 176,000 and 2 nickel atoms were present per catalytic unit. pH stability studies of the purified enzyme showed that the recombinant Bacillus pasteurii urease is stable in alkaline pH range, which is similar to the enzyme of the evolutionarily related bacterium, Sporosarcina ureae.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.158-167
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• 2007

In this study, we have cloned a novel cDNA encoding for a papain-family cysteine protease from the Uni-ZAP XR cDNA library of the polychaete, Periserrula leucophryna. This gene was expressed in Escherichia coli using the T7 promoter system, and the protease was characterized after partial purification. First, the partial DNA fragment (498 bp) was amplified from the total RNA via RT-PCR using degenerated primers derived from the conserved region of cysteine protease. The full-length cDNA of cysteine protease (PLCP) was prepared via the screening of the Uni-ZAP XR cDNA library using the $^{32}P-labeled$ partial DNA fragment. As a result, the PLCP gene was determined to consist of a 2591 bp nucleotide sequence (CDS: 173-1024 bp) which encodes for a 283-amino acid polypeptide, which is itself composed of an 59-residue signal sequence, a 6-residue propeptide, a 218-residue mature protein, and a long 3'-noncoding region encompassing 1564 bp. The predicted molecular weights of the preproprotein and the mature protein were calculated as 31.8 kDa and 25 kDa, respectively. The results of sequence analysis and alignment revealed a significant degree of sequence similarity with other eukaryotic cysteine proteases, including the conserved catalytic triad of the $Cys^{90},\;His^{226},\;and\;Asn^{250}$ residues which characterize the C1 family of papain-like cysteine protease. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the novel gene were deposited into the GenBank database under the accession numbers, AY390282 and AAR27011, respectively. The results of Northern blot analysis revealed the 2.5 kb size of the transcript and ubiquitous expression throughout the entirety of the body, head, gut, and skin, which suggested that the PLCP may be grouped within the cathepsin F-like proteases. The region encoding for the mature form of the protease was then subcloned into the pT7-7 expression vector following PCR amplification using the designed primers, including the initiation and termination codons. The recombinant cysteine proteases were generated in a range of 6.3 % to 12.5 % of the total cell proteins in the E. coli BL21(DE3) strain for 8 transformants. The results of SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis indicated that a cysteine protease of approximately 25 kDa (mature form) was generated. The optimal pH and temperature of the enzyme were determined to be approximately 9.5 and $35^{\circ}C$, respectively, thereby indicating that the cysteine protease is a member of the alkaline protease group. The evaluation of substrate specificity indicated that the purified protease was more active towards Arg-X or Lys-X and did not efficiently cleave the substrates with non-polar amino acids at the P1 site. The PLCP evidenced fibrinolytic activity on the plasminogen-free fibrin plate test.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.814-820
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• 2015

PinX1, a nucleolar protein of 328 amino acids, inhibits telomerase activity, which leads to the shortening of telomeres. The C-terminal region of PinX1 is responsible for its nucleolar localization and binding with TERT, a catalytic component of telomerase. A fraction of TERT localizes to the nucleolus, but the role of TERT in the nucleolus is largely unknown. Here, we report a functional connection between PinX1 and TERT regarding PinX1 stability. The C-terminal of $PinX1^{205-328}$, a nucleolar fragment, was much more stable than the N-terminal of $PinX1^{1-204}$, a nuclear fragment. Interestingly, PinX1 was less stable in TERT-depleted cells and more stable in TERT-myc expressing cells. Stability assays for PinX1 truncation forms showed that both $PinX1^{1-328}$ and $PinX1^{205-328}$, nucleolar forms, were more rapidly degraded in TERT-depleted cells, while they were more stably maintained in TERT-overexpressing cells, compared to each of the controls. However, $PinX1^{1-204}$ was degraded regardless of the TERT status. These results reveal that the stability of PinX1 is maintained in nucleolus in the presence of TERT and suggest a role of TERT in the regulation of PinX1 steady-state levels.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.817-823
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• 2003

We have performed ab initio calculation on the active site of HIV-1 protease. The FEP method was used to determine the binding free energy of four different of protonated states of HIV-1 protease with inhibitor. The structure of the active site and hole structure was taken from the X-ray crystallographic coordinates of the C₂ symmetric inhibitor A74704 protease bound. The active site was modeled with the fragment molecules of binding pocket, acetic acid/ acetate anion (Asp25, Asp125), formamide (amide bond of Thr26/Gly27, Thr126/ Gly127), and methanol as inhibitor fragment. All possibly protonated states of the active site were considered, which were diprotonated state (0, 0), monoprotonated (-1, 0),(0, -1) and diunprotonated state (-1, -1). Once the binding energy Debind, of each model was calculated, more probabilistic protonated states can be proposed from binding energy. From ab-initio results, the FEP simulations were performed for the three following mutations: Ⅰ) Asp25 … Asp125 → AspH25 … Asp125, ⅱ) Asp25 … Asp125 → Asp25 … AspH125, ⅲ) AspH25 … Asp125 → AspH25 … AspH125. The free energy difference between the four states gives the information of the more realistic protonated state of active site aspartic acid. These results provide a theoretical prediction of the protonation state of the catalytic aspartic residues for A74707 complex, and may be useful for the evaluation of potential therapeutic targets.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.560-567
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• 1998

We have found that Thermoactinomyces vulgaris KFB-Cl00 produces a chitinase. The optimum temperature and pH of the enzyme activity were $55^{\circ}C$ and 6.5. The enzyme was stable after heat treatment at $80^{\circ}C$ for 30 min and stable in acidic and basic conditions (PH 6.0~11.0). The thermostable endo-chitinase from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris KFB-C100 was cloned into the plasmid pBR322 by using E. coli DH5$\alpha$ as a host strain. The positive clone carrying a recombinant plasmid (PKCHI23) with a 4.1-kb fragment containing the chitinase gene was found. The recombinant plasmid was analyzed to determine the essential region for chitinase activity and obtained a 2.3-kb fragment, which was sub cloned into pTrc99A using the PstI and SalI sites to construct pTrc99A/pKCHI23-3. The resulting plasmid exerted high chitinase activity upon transformation of E. coli XL1-Blue cells. Chitinase was overproduced 14 times more in the clone cells than in the wild-type cells and the enzyme was purified to homogeneity. The purified enzyme showed the similar properties as the native chitinase from T. vulgaris in terms of molecular weight and substrate specificity. The catalytic action of the cloned enzyme was an endo type, producing chitobiose as a major reaction product.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.421-426
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• 2002

The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), a member of $\alpha$-keto acid dehydrogenase complex, catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate with the formation of $CO_2$, acetyl-CoA, NADH, and $H^+$. This complex contains multiple copies of three catalytic components including pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1), dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2), and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3). Two regulatory components (E1-kinase and phospho-E1 phosphatase) and functionally less-understood protein (protein X, E3BP) are also involved in the formation of the complex. In this study, we have partially cloned the gene for E3BP in human. Nine putative clones were isolated by human genomic library screening with 1.35 kb fragment of E3BP cDNA as a probe. For investigation of cloned genes, Southern blot analysis and the construction of the restriction map were performed. One of the isolated clones, E3BP741, has a 3 kb-SacI fragment, which contains 200 bp region matched with E3BP cDNA sequences. The matched DNA sequence encodes the carboxyl-terminal portion of lipoyl-bearing domain and hinge region of human E3BP. Differences between yeast E3BP and mammalian E3BP coupled with the remarkable similarity between mammalian E2 and mammalian E3BP were confirmed from the comparison of the nucleotide sequence and the deduced amino acid sequence in the cloned E3BP. Cloning of human E3BP gene and analysis of the gene structure will facilitate the understanding of the role(s) of E3BP in mammalian PDC.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.188-199
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• 2001

A gene encoding the dextransucrase(dsCB) that synthesizes mostly $\alpha-(1\rightarrow6)$ linked dextran with low amount(10%) of $\alpha-(1\rightarrow3)$ branching was cloned and sequenced from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-742CB. The 6.1 kbp DNA fragment carrying dsCB showed one open reading frame(ORF) composed of 4,536bp. The deduced amino acid sequence shows that it begins from the start codon(ATG) at position 698 of the cloned DNA fragment and extends to the termination condon(TAA) at position 5,223. The enzyme is consisted of 1,508 amino acids and has an calculated molecular mass of 168.6kDa. This calculated Mw was in good agreement with an activity band of 170kDa on non-denaturing SDS-PAGE. A recombinant E. coli DH5 $alpha$ harboring pDSCB produced extracellular dextransucrase in 2% sucrose medium, and synthesized both soluble and insoluble dextran. To compare the properties of enzyme with B-742CB dextransucrase, the acceptor reaction, hydrolysis of dextran and methylation were performed. The expressed enzyme showed the same properties as B-742CB dextransucrease, but its ability to synthesize $\alpha-(1\rightarrow3)$ branching was lower than that of B-742CB dextransucrase. In order to identify the critical amino acid residues known as conserved regions related to catalytic activity, Asp-492 was replaced with Asn. D492N resulted in a 1.6 fold decrease in specific activity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2949-2953
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• 2012

The glutathione S transferase (GST) family is a major part of cellular defense mechanisms against endogenous and exogenous substances, many of which have carcinogenic potential. Alteration in the expression level or structure of the glutathione-S-transferase (GST) enzymes may lead to inadequate detoxification of potential carcinogens and consequently contribute to cancer development. A member of the glutathione-S-transferase (GST) family, GSTP1, is an attractive candidate for involvement in susceptibility to carcinogen-associated colorectal cancer. An $Ag{\rightarrow}G$ transition in exon 5 resulting in an Ile105Val amino acid substitution has been identified which alters catalytic efficiency. The present study investigated the possible impact of Ile105Val GSTP1 polymorphism on susceptibility to colorectal cancer. in Jordan We examined 90 tissue samples previously diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma, and 56 non-cancerous colon tissues. DNA was extracted from paraffin embedded tissues and the status of the GSTP1 polymorphism was determined using a polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. No statistically significant differences were found between colorectal cancer cases and controls for the GSTP1 Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val genotypes. The glutathione S-transferase polymorphism was not associated with risk in colorectal cancer cases in Jordan stratified by age, sex, site, grade or tumor stage. In conclusion, the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism is unlikely to affect the risk of colorectal cancer.