• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.315-324
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• 2007

The novel $\alpha$-amylase purified from locally isolated strain, Bacillus sp. KR-8104, (KRA) (Enzyme Microb Technol; 2005; 36: 666-671) is active in a wide range of pH. The enzyme maximum activity is at pH 4.0 and it retains 90% of activity at pH 3.5. The irreversible thermoinactivation patterns of KRA and the enzyme activity are not changed in the presence and absence of $Ca^{2+}$ and EDTA. Therefore, KRA acts as a $Ca^{2+}$-independent enzyme. Based on circular dichroism (CD) data from thermal unfolding of the enzyme recorded at 222 nm, addition of $Ca^{2+}$ and EDTA similar to its irreversible thermoinactivation, does not influence the thermal denaturation of the enzyme and its Tm. The amino acid sequence of KRA was obtained from the nucleotide sequencing of PCR products of encoding gene. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme revealed a very high sequence homology to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BAA) (85% identity, 90% similarity) and Bacillus licheniformis $\alpha$-amylases (BLA) (81% identity, 88% similarity). To elucidate and understand these characteristics of the $\alpha$-amylase, a model of 3D structure of KRA was constructed using the crystal structure of the mutant of BLA as the platform and refined with a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation program. Interestingly enough, there is only one amino acid substitution for KRA in comparison with BLA and BAA in the region involved in the calcium-binding sites. On the other hand, there are many amino acid differences between BLA and KRA at the interface of A and B domains and around the metal triad and active site area. These alterations could have a role in stabilizing the native structure of the loop in the active site cleft and maintenance and stabilization of the putative metal triad-binding site. The amino acid differences at the active site cleft and around the catalytic residues might affect their pKa values and consequently shift its pH profile. In addition, the intrinsic fluorescence intensity of the enzyme at 350 nm does not show considerable change at pH 3.5-7.0.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.25-31
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• 2004

In this paper, we introduce kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) methods for simulating diffusion process in nano-scale device fabrication. At first, we review kMC theory and backgrounds and give a simple point defect diffusion process modeling in thermal annealing after ion (electron) implantation into Si crystalline substrate to help understand kinetic Monte Carlo methods. kMC is a kind of Monte Carlo but can simulate time evolution of diffusion process through Poisson probabilistic process. In kMC diffusion process, instead of. solving differential reaction-diffusion equations via conventional finite difference or element methods, it is based on a series of chemical reaction (between atoms and/or defects) or diffusion events according to event rates of all possible events. Every event has its own event rate and time evolution of semiconductor diffusion process is directly simulated. Those event rates can be derived either directly from molecular dynamics (MD) or first-principles (ab-initio) calculations, or from experimental data.