• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.310-316
• /
• 1990

This study was focused on the characterization of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) for molecular 9enetical approach of energy Production related mechanism in Panax ginseng. The simple and efficient method of mtDNA isolation from ginseng has been developed by modification of recently advanced methods. This procedure can successfully apply to mtDNA isolation of several plants. mtDNA of etiolated shoot and one-year root were digested with restriction endonucleases, but that of 6-year root not. Any difference was not observed in the restriction endonuclease digestion patterns among the ginseng variants. Molecular size of ginseng mtDNA was estimated at least 159 kb by the restriction endonuclease fragment analysis. The 4.5 kb extra band at the lane of EcoRII treatment could be observed in restriction patterns digested with the methylation sensitive endonucleases, BstN I and EcoRII. For construction of mitochondrial genomic library of ginseng, mtDNA was partially digested with EcoRl, and packaged with EMBL4 phage vector. Genomic library was screened and purified for further research including restriction mapping of ginseng mtDNA, and cloning of the genes. The gene of ATP synthase A subunit was cloned from the purified EMBL4 library clone No. 16. Now, clone No. 16 is subcloned for structure gene sequence analysis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.10
• /
• pp.1660-1669
• /
• 2015

The present study describes the gene cloning, overexpression and characterization of a novel nitrilase from hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima MSB8. The nitrilase gene consisted of 804 base pairs, encoding a protein of 268 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 30.07 kDa after SDS-PAGE analysis. The optimal temperature and pH of the purified enzyme were 45℃ and 7.5, respectively. The enzyme demonstrated good temperature tolerance, with 40% residual activity after 60 min of heat treatment at 75℃. The kinetic constants V_max and K_m of this nitrilase toward 3-cyanopyridine were 3.12 μmol/min/mg and 7.63 mM, respectively. Furthermore, this novel nitrilase exhibited a broad spectrum toward the hydrolysis of the aliphatic nitriles among the tested substrates, and particularly was specific to aliphatic dinitriles like succinonitrile, which was distinguished from most nitrilases ever reported. The catalytic efficiency k_cat/K_m was 0.44 /mM/s toward succinonitrile. This distinct characteristic might enable this nitrilase to be a potential candidate for industrial applications for biosynthesis of carboxylic acid.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.333-340
• /
• 1998

Streptomyces griseus trypsin (SGT) is an extracellular proteinase produced by S. griseus. The sprT gene, which encodes premature SGT protein, was cloned into the plasmid pWHM3, a Streptomyces-E. coli shuttle vector. When the recombinant plasmid was introduced into Streptomyces lividans TK24, two proteins with molecular weights of 28 kDa and 42 kDa were detected. The 28-kDa protein was a SGT protein while the larger 42-kDa protein is thought to have been a premature form of the SGT protein. The SGT protein was purified to homogeneity via ammonium sulfate fractionation and many column chromatographies, including CM -sepharose chromatography, Mono-S chromatography, and Superose-12 chromatography, from the culture broth of S. lividans TK24 harboring the sprT gene. The N-terminal amino acid sequence, isoelectric points, and stabilities at various conditions of the SGT proteins purified from the Pronase and transformant were almost identical. The amount of the expressed SGT in S. lividans TK 24 was determined to be 5 times more than that of S. griseus based on the enzymatic activity against artificial substrate.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.187-192
• /
• 2011

TGF-$\beta$ activated kinase-1 (TAK1) plays a pivotal role in developmental processes in many species. Previous research has mainly focused on the function of TAK1 in model organisms, and little is known about the function of TAK1 in hymenoptera insects. Here, we isolated and characterized the TAK1 gene from Apis cerana cerana. Promoter analysis of AccTAK1 revealed the presence of transcription factor binding sites related to early development. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry experiments revealed that AccTAK1 was expressed at high levels in fourth instar larvae, primarily in the abdomen, in the intestinal wall cells of the midgut and in the secretory cells of the salivary glands. In addition, AccTAK1 expression in fourth instar larvae could be dramatically induced by treatment with pesticides and organic solvents. These observations suggest that AccTAK1 may be involved in the regulation of early development in the larval salivary gland and midgut.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.171-175
• /
• 2003

The putative endochitinase gene, yheB of Escherichia coli K-12 is not expressed under lab culture conditions. The endochitinase gene was amplified by PCR and subcloned into pET28c vector and pQE9 vector, respectively. The endochitinase produced in E. coli harboring pET28c containing yheB or pQE9 vector containing yheE was partly released into the growth medium. The overproduced endochitinase was partially purified by His affinity column chromatography and DE-52 column chromatography. The apparent molecular weight of the endochitinase determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was about 97,000. The purified E. coli endochitinase showed maximal chitinolytic activity at pH 6 and $40^{\circ}C$.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.157-162
• /
• 2010

Open reading frame 35 (bm35) of the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a special gene whose homologues are only found in some group-I nucleopolyhedroviruses, suggesting that bm35 plays a specific role in the viral life cycle. This paper described the characterization of BmNPV bm35. Computerassisted sequence analysis shows that a putative RING finger motif is observed in the protein, Bm35 encoded by bm35. The coding sequence of bm35 was amplified and subcloned into the vector pET30a(+) and the $(His)_6$-tagged fusion protein His-Bm35 was expressed in the Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) LysS cells. The bm35 transcript and Bm35 protein were detected in BmNPV-infected BmN cells at 12~48 h post infection (p.i.) by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis using the polyclonal antibody generated by immunizing a rabbit with purified $(His)_6$-tagged Bm35, suggesting that bm35 is synthesized in the late stage of BmNPV infection cycle. Bm35 was not a structural component associated with budded virus (BV) and occlusion derived virus (ODV). These data indicated that bm35 is a functional gene in the BmNPV life cycle.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.24 no.11
• /
• pp.1525-1535
• /
• 2014

The xynC gene, which encodes high molecular weight xylanase from Paenibacillus sp. DG-22, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The xynC gene comprised a 4,419bp open reading frame encoding 1,472 amino acid residues, including a 27 amino acid signal sequence. Sequence analysis indicated that XynC is a multidomain enzyme composed of two family 4_9 carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), a catalytic domain of family 10 glycosyl hydrolases, a family 9 CBM, and three S-layer homologous domains. Recombinant XynC was purified to homogeneity by heat treatment, followed by Avicel affinity chromatography. SDS-PAGE and zymogram analysis of the purified enzyme identified three active truncated xylanase species. Protein sequencing of these truncated proteins showed that all had identical N-terminal sequences. In the protein characterization, recombinant XynC exhibited optimal activity at pH 6.5 and $65^{\circ}C$ and remained stable at neutral to alkaline pH (pH 6.0-10.0). The xylanase activity of recombinant XynC was strongly inhibited by 1 mM $Cu^{2+}$ and $Hg^{2+}$, whereas it was noticeably enhanced by 10 mM dithiothreitol. The enzyme exhibited strong activity towards xylans, including beechwood xylan and arabinoxylan, whereas it showed no cellulase activity. The hydrolyzed product patterns of birchwood xylan and xylooligosaccharides by thin-layer chromatography confirmed XynC as an endoxylanase.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.144-148
• /
• 2013

Lycopene cyclase converts lycopene to ${\beta}$-carotene by catalyzing the formation of two beta-rings at each end of the linear carotene structure. This reaction takes place as a two-step reaction in which both sides of of the lycopene molecule are cyclized into ${\beta}$-carotene rings via the monocyclic ${\gamma}$-carotene as an intermediate. The crtY gene coding for lycopene cyclase from Paracoccus haeundaensis consists of 1,158 base pairs encoding 386 amino acids residues. An expression plasmid containing the crtY gene (pET44a-CrtY) was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli, and produced a recombinant protein of approximately 43 kDa, corresponding to the molecular mass of lycopene cyclase. The expressed protein was purified to homogeneity by His-tag affinity chromatography and showed enzymatic activity corresponding to lycopene cyclase. We also determined the lycopene substrate specificity and NADPH cofactor requirements of the purified protein. The $K_m$ values for lycopene and NADPH were 3.5 ${\mu}M$ and 2 mM, respectively. The results obtained from this study will provide a wider base of knowledge on the enzyme characterization of lycopene cyclase at the molecular level.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.433-441
• /
• 2003

A cDNA clone for a salicylic acid-induced gene in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) was isolated and characterized. The cabbage gene, designated Br-sil1 (for $\underline{B}$rassica $\underline{r}$apa $\underline{s}$alicylate-$\underline{i}$nduced $\underline{l}$lipase-like 1 gene), encodes a putative lipase that has the family II lipase motif GDSxxDxG around the active site serine. A database search showed that plant genomes have a large number of genes that contain the family II lipase motif. The lipase-like proteins include a myrosinase-associated protein, an anther-specific proline-rich protein APG, a pollen coat protein EXL, and an early nodule-specific protein. The Br-sil1 gene is strongly induced by salicylic acid and a non-host pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, that elicits a hypersensitive response in Chinese cabbage. Treatment of the cabbage leaves with BTH, methyl jasmonate, or ethephon showed that the Br-sil1 gene expression is induced by BTH, but not by methyl jasmonate or ethylene. This indicates that the cabbage gene is activated via a salicylic acid-dependent signaling pathway. An examination of the tissue-specific expression revealed that the induction of the Br-sil1 gene expression by BTH occurs in leaves and stems, but not in roots and flowers. Without the BTH treatment, however, the Br-sil1 gene is not expressed in any of the tissues that were examined.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.23-30
• /
• 2006

BmCu/Zn SOD was isolated from early embryo of Bombyx mori using microarray analysis. The BmCu/Zn SOD gene was observed during the early embryonic stage with the strongest signal found at the unfertilizaion, fertilization and blastoderm stages. The BmCu/Zn SOD gene encodes a protein of 154 amino acids with a calculated Mr of 15 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of BmCu/Zn SOD indicated that the residues that form on the Cu/Zn binding site are conserved and that the sequence is a 60% identity to that of M. domestica. In a phylogenetic tree, Bm SOD was also close to Drosophila SODs rather than other insect SODs. The BmCu/Zn SOD gene exists as a single copy in the genome. Transcripts of BmCu/Zn SOD cDNA were identified by northern blot analysis. The expression of the BmCu/Zn SOD gene was observed weakly in most of larvae, pre-pupae, pupae and adult tissues. Also, the BmCu/Zn SOD gene was observed in early embryonic stage. Although the roles of SODs remains to be further elucidated, the high expression of BmCu/Zn SOD gene at before 24 h post fertilization suggests that this gene is of general importance during early embryogenesis in the Bombyx mod.