• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 2006

Ferritin is a major eukaryotic protein and in humans is the protein of iron storage. A partial gene fragment of ferritin (255 bp) taken from the total RNA of Periserrula leucophryna, was amplified by RT-PCR using oligonucleotide primers designed from the conserved metal binding domain of eukaryotic ferritin and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Using the $^{32}P-labeled$ partial ferritin cDNA fragment, 28 different clones were obtained by the screening of the P. leucophryna cDNA library prepared in the Uni-ZAP XR vector, sequenced and characterized. The longest clone was named the PLF (Periserrula leucophryna ferritin) gene and the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of this novel gene were deposited in the GenBank databases with accession numbers DQ207752 and ABA55730, respectively. The entire cDNA of PLF clone was 1109 bp (CDS: 129-653), including a coding nucleotide sequence of 525 bp, a 5' -untranslated region of 128 bp, and a 3'-noncoding region of 456 bp. The 5'-UTR contains a putative iron responsive element (IRE) sequence. Ferritin has an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 174 amino acids including a hydrophobic signal peptide of 17 amino acids. The predicted molecular weights of the immature and mature ferritin were calculated to be 20.3 kDa and 18.2 kDa, respectively. The region encoding the mature ferritin was subcloned into the pT7-7 expression vector after PCR amplification using the designed primers and included the initiation and termination codons; the recombinant clones were expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) or E. coli BL21(DE3)pLysE. SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis showed that a ferritin of approximately 18 kDa (mature form) was produced and that by iron staining in native PAGE, it is likely that the recombinant ferritin is correctly folded and assembled into a homopolymer composed of a single subunit.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.72-72
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• 2003

• KSBB Journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2016

Ferritin is known to regulate iron metabolism and maintain iron in a variety of the eukaryotic organisms. The region encoding the mature ferritin (0.47 kb, H-type) of Periserrula leucophryna was amplified using the designed primers including restriction enzyme site and termination codon and subcloned in frame to the pRBAS secretion vector containing the signal sequence, RBS, and promoter of amylase gene (E. coli-Bacillus shuttle vector), resulting in recombinant pRBAS-PLF vector. Recombinant ferritin (18 kDa) was correctly processed and secreted from Bacillus subtilis LKS strain harboring the pRBAS-PLF vector and quantitatively analyzed by SDS-PAGE and western blot, respectively. Secretion of the ferritin was optimized by culture conditions (host, medium, temperature, nitrogen source) in 3 L batch culture and 5 L jar fermenter. Finally. the ferritin was largely produced using 50 L fermenter as the following conditions; at $30^{\circ}C$, 150 rpm, 1 vvm in Bacillus subtilis LKS using PY medium. The secreted ferritin was maximally measured (approximately 177.6 ug/ml) when the cell density reached to 14.4 at $OD_{600}$ (20 h incubation). The iron binding activity was confirmed by Perls' staining in 7.5% non-denaturing gel, indicating that the multimeric ferritin (composed of 24 subunits) was formed in the culture broth after secretion. Biologically, the culture broth and powder type containing ferritin were tested for possibility as feed additive in chicken broiler. As a result, the ferritin stimulated the growth of chick broil and improved feed efficiency and production index.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.221-227
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• 2005

The architecture of macrofaunal burrows and the total area of the sediment-water interface created by biogenic structure were investigated in the Donggeomdo tidal flat on the west coast of Korea. Resin casting methods were applied to recover burrows of four dominant species, Macrophthalmus japonicus, Cleistostoma dilatatum, Perinereis aibuhitensis, and Periserrula leucophryna, and whole burrows within the casting area at three sites in different tidal levels. P. leucophryna excavated the largest burrow in terms of a surface area among them. In the case of whole burrow casting, the space occupied by the biogenic structure was extended into deeper and expanded more greatly at the higher tidal level. In the uppermost flat, the burrow wall surface area within sediment was more extensive than the sediment surface area. Increased oxygen supply through the extended interface could enhance the degradation rates of organic carbon and also change the pathways of degradation. Quantifying the relationship between the extended interface and mineralization rate and pathway requires more extensive study.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.315-324
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• 2016

In this study, we investigated changes in the macrobenthic community in Sihwa tidal flat before and after the operation of a Tidal Power Plant (TPP). In order to investigate changes in the macrobenthic community structure, field surveys were conducted at eighteen stations in 4 transect lines every September from 2011 to 2015. Mean density of macrobenthos decreased to $116ind./m^2$ in 2015 from $1,602ind./m^2$ in 2011. While the mean density of macrobenthos has decreased, species richness and biomass have gradually increased. The species diversity and SEP (Shannon-wiener Evenness Proportion) have also gradually increased over time since the operation of the TPP. The macrobenthic community in Sihwa tidal flat was divided into 4 groups on a yearly base. Before the operation of TPP, opportunistic species such as Neanthes succina and Polydora cornuta largely contributed to the structure of the macrobenthic community, while equilibrium species such as Periserrula leucophryna and Scopimera globosa contributed after the operation. With the operation of TPP, the macrobenthic community has rapidly recovered and this might be related to improvement in the quality of water and sedimentary environments as a result of an increase in water mass volume exchanged through the TPP gate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.58-68
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• 2012

An investigation was conducted on the enhancement of production and purification of an oxidant and SDS-stable alkaline protease (BHAP) secreted by an alkalophilic Bacillus horikoshii, which was screened from the body fluid of a unique Korean polychaeta (Periserrula leucophryna) living in the tidal mud flats of Kwangwha Island in the Korean West Sea. A prominent effect on BHAP production was obtained by adding 2% maltose, 1% sodium citrate, 0.8% NaCl, and 0.6% sodium carbonate to the culturing medium. The optimal medium for BHAP production contained (g/l) SBM, 15; casein, 10; $K_2HPO_4$, 2; $KH_2PO_4$, 2; maltose, 20; sodium citrate, 10; $MgSO_4$, 0.06; NaCl, 8; and $Na_2CO_3$, 6. A protease yield of approximately 56,000 U/ml was achieved using the optimized medium, which is an increase of approximately 5.5-fold compared with the previous optimization (10,050 U/ml). The BHAP was homogenously purified 34-fold with an overall recovery of 34% and a specific activity of 223,090 U/mg protein using adsorption with Diaion HPA75, hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) on Phenyl-Sepharose, and ion-exchange chromatography on a DEAE- and CM-Sepharose column. The purified BHAP was determined a homogeneous by SDS-PAGE, with an apparent molecular mass of 28 kDa, and it showed extreme stability towards organic solvents, SDS, and oxidizing agents. The $K_m$ and $k_{cat}$ values were 78.7 ${\mu}M$ and $217.4s^{-1}$ for N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA at $37^{\circ}C$ and pH 9, respectively. The inhibition profile exhibited by PMSF suggested that the protease from B. horikoshii belongs to the family of serine proteases. The BHAP, which showed high stability against SDS and $H_2O_2$, has significance for industrial application, such as additives in detergent and feed industries.

• 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.