• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.16 no.7 s.80
• /
• pp.1133-1140
• /
• 2006

Human HtrA1 (High temperature requirement protein A1) is a homologue of the E. coli periplasmic serine protease HtrA. A recent study has demonstrated that HtrA1 is a serine protease involved in processing of insulin like growth factor binding protein (ICFBP), indicating that it serves as an important regulator of IGF activity. Additionally, several lines of evidence suggest a striking correlation between proteolytic activity of HtrA1 serine protease and the pathogenesis of several diseases; however, physiological roles of HtrA1 remain to be elucidated. We used the pGEX bacterial expression system to develop a simple and rapid method for purifying HtrA1, and the recombinant HtrA1 protein was utilized to investigate the optimal conditions in executing its proteolytic activity. The proteolytically active HtrA1 was purified to approximately 85% purity, although the yield of the recombinant HtrA1 protein was slightly low $460{\mu}g$ for 1 liter E. coli culture). Using in vitro endoproteolytic cleavage assay, we identified that the HtrA1 serine protease activity was dependent on the enzyme concentration and the incubation time and that the best reaction temperature was $42^{\circ}C$ instead of $37^{\circ}C$. We arbitrary defined one unit of proteolytic activity of the HtrA1 serine protease as 200nM of HtrA1 that cleaves half of $5{\mu}M\;of\;{\beta}-casein$ during 3 hr incubation at $37^{\circ}C$. Our study provides a method for generating useful reagents to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which HtrA1 serine protease activity contributes in regulating its physiological function and to identify natural substrates of HtrA1.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.297-302
• /
• 1998

$\beta$-Xylosidase B was produced by Escherichia coli HB101/pKMG12 carrying the xylB gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus No.236 on its recombinant plasmid. The $\beta$-xylosidase B produced was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, Sephacryl S-200 and Superdex 200 HR gel filtration. The purified enzyme showed the highest activity at pH 6.5 and 5$0^{\circ}C$. But, the enzyme was observed to be very sensitive to the pH and temperature of the reaction mixture. The enzyme was activated about 35% of its original activity in the presence of 1 mM of $Mn^{2+}$ but it was completely inhibited by $Ag^{+}$, $Cu^{2+}$and $Hg^{2+}$ions. In contrast with the $\beta$-xylosidase A, the B enzyme was found to have $\alpha$-arabinofuranosidase activity though the activity was fairly low compared with the $\alpha$-arabinofuranosidase produced from the arfI gene of the same Bacillus stearothermophilus. Therefore, $\beta$-xylosidase B is considered to be more suitable than $\beta$-xylosidase A at least for the biodegradation of arabinoxylan. The $K_{m}$ and V$_{max}$ values of the $\beta$-xylosidase B for o-nitrophenyl-$\alpha$-D-xylopyranoside were 6.43 mM and 1.45 $\mu$mole/min, respectively. Molecular mass of the enzyme was determind to be about 54 kDa by SDS-PAGE and 160 kDa by Superdex 200HR gel filtration, indicating that the functional $\beta$-xylosidase B was composed of three identical subunits.s.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.231-237
• /
• 2006

The extracellular enzyme alginase produced by Bacillus licheniformis AL-577 was purified by ion chromatography on CM-Cellulose column, DEAE-Sepharose column, and followed by gel filtration on Sephadx G-100 column. The optimum pH and temperature for the activity of the purified enzyme were 6.0 and $35^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme was stable at the pH range of $6.0\~9.0$ and at $20^{\circ}C$. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be about 25,500 daltons by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. NaCl was required for high activity of the enzyme. The enzyme was inhibited by $Ba^{2+},\;Co^{2+},\;Cu^{2+},\;Fe^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;NH_4^+$, EDTA, L-cysteine, and 2-mercaptoethanol, while stimulated by DTT, O-phenanthroline, $K^+$ and $Li^+$. This enzyme was proposed to be an alginase specifically degrading alginic acid.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.161-170
• /
• 1989

The proteases of Toxoplasma gcndii were purified partially and characterisrd for some biochemical properties including various chromatographic patterns, major catalytic classes, and conditions to promote the activity of these enzymes. When Toxoplasma extract was incubated with 3H-casein at various pH, peak hydrolysis of casein was observed at pH 6.0 and at pH 8.5. Proteasfs working at pH 6.0 and at pH 8.5 were purified partially by conventional methods of chromatographies of DE52 anion rxchange, Sephadex G-200 gel permeation, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. Partially purified enzymes were tested by site-specific inhibitors and promotorf. The protease working at pH 6.0 was inactivated by iodoacetamide with LDso of 10-5 M and promoted by dithiothreitol, while the protease working at pH 8.5 was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride with LD50 of 10-5 M and was Promoted by ATP (excess ATP beyond 2 mM inhibited the activity reversely). The protease of pH 8.5 had the activity of ATPase which might exert the energy to its action. Therefore the former was referred to as a cysteinyl acid protease and the latter, ATP-dependent neutral serine protease.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.336-343
• /
• 2016

A mannanase gene was cloned into Escherichia coli from Cellulosimicrobium sp. YB-43, which had been found to produce two kinds of mannanase, and sequenced completely. This mannanase gene, designated manB, consisted of 1,284 nucleotides encoding a polypeptide of 427 amino acid residues. Based on the deduced amino acid sequence, the ManB was identified to be a modular enzyme including two carbohydrate binding domains besides the catalytic domain, which was highly homologous to mannanases belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase family 5. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of ManB, purified from a cell-free extract of the recombinant E. coli carrying a Cellulosimicrobium sp. YB-43 manB gene, has been determined as QGASAASDG, which was correctly corresponding to signal peptide predicted by SignalP4.1 server for Gram-negative bacteria. The purified ManB had a pH optimum for its activity at pH 6.5~7.0 and a temperature optimum at $55^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was active on locust bean gum (LBG), konjac and guar gum, while it did not exhibit activity towards carboxymethylcellulose, xylan, starch, and para-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-mannopyranoside. The activity of enzyme was inhibited very slightly by $Mg^{2+}$, $K^+$, and $Na^+$, and significantly inhibited by $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, and SDS. The enzyme could hydrolyze mannooligosaccharides larger than mannobiose, which was the most predominant product resulting from the ManB hydrolysis for mannooligosaccharides and LBG.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.683-690
• /
• 2010

The yeast strains of Saccharomyces diastaticus produce one of three isozymes of an extracellular glucoamylase I, II or III, a type of exo-enzyme which can hydrolyse starch to generate glucose molecules from non-reducing ends. These enzymes are encoded by the STA1, STA2 and STA3 genes. Another gene, sporulation-specific glucoamylase (SGA), also exists in the genus Saccharomyces which is very homologous to the STA genes. The SGA has been known to be produced in the cytosol during sporulation. However, we hypothesized that the SGA is capable of being secreted to the extracellular region because of about 20 hydrophobic amino acid residues at the N-terminus which can function as a signal peptide. We expressed the cloned SGA gene in S. diastaticus YIY345. In order to compare the biochemical properties of the extracellular glucoamylase and the SGA, the SGA was purified from the culture supernatant through ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex A-50, CM-Sephadex C-50 and Sephadex G-200 chromatography. The molecular weight of the intact SGA was estimated to be about 130 kDa by gel filtration chromatography with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column. Sodium dedecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis showed it was composed of two heterogeneous subunits, 63 kDa and 68 kDa. The deglycosylation of the SGA generated a new 59 kDa band on the SDS-PAGE analysis, indicating that two subunits are glycosylated but the extent of glycosylation is different between them. The optimum pH and temperature of the SGA were 5.5 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively, whereas those for the extracellular glucoamylase were 5.0 and $50^{\circ}C$. The SGA were more sensitive to heat and SDS than the extracellular glucoamylase.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.285-290
• /
• 1994

About 500 bacterial and fungal strains from a wide variety of natural habitats were screened for a new type II restriction endonuclease. Among the 500 species, we selected one species that produced a new restriction endonuclease. This strain has an optimum temperature of $30^{circ}C$ for growth. Morphological, cultural, and physiological characteristics were examined for identification of the isolated strain J-482. This strain was found to belong to the genus Alcaligenes. The restriction endonuclease was named as AspJI and partially purified from Alcaligenes sp. J-482 by DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column chromatography and gel filtration. Most of other nucleases were removed by the purification steps. The AspJI has a substrate specificity to ${lambda}$ DNA, pBR322 and Adenovirus-2 DNA. For its maximal activity, the isolated enzyme requires $MgCl_2$, which should be at least 12.5 mM and it does not need any other cofactors. It is maximally active in the absence of NaCl and is completely inactivated at 100 mM NaCl. The pH and temperature optima for activity were pH 7.5 and $37^{circ}C$, respectively. The DNA fragments generated by digesting ${lambda}$ DNA, pBR322, and Adenovirus-2 DNA with AspJI were the same as that produced by AatII. This suggests that AspJI is an isoschizomer of AatII.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.329-336
• /
• 2021

Cellulophga sp. J9-3, is a gram-negative, aerobic marine bacterium belonging to the family Flavobacteriaceae. In addition to cellulose degradability, the J9-3 strain is also capable of hydrolyzing agar in the solid and liquid medium, and the production of agarase in the presence of agarose can be remarkably induced by the bacterium. From the cell culture broth of Cellulophga sp. J9-3, ammonium sulfate precipitation and three kinds of column chromatography were successively performed to purify a specific agarase protein, the AgaJ93. Purified AgaJ93 showed the strongest hydrolyzing activity towards agarose (approximately 22%), and even displayed activity towards starch. AgaJ93 hydrolyzed agarose into neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose via various oligosaccharide intermediates, indicating that AgaJ93 is an endo-type β-agarase. AgaJ93 showed maximum activity at a pH of 7.0 and temperature of 35 ℃. Its activity increased by more than six times in the presence of Co²⁺ ions. The N-terminal sequence of AgaJ93 showed 82% homology with the heat-resistant endo-type β-agarase Aga2 of Cellulophaga sp. W5C. However, the biochemical properties of the two enzymes were different. Therefore, AgaJ93 is expected to be a novel agarose, different from the previously reported β-agarases.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.82-90
• /
• 1989

Antheraea yamamai vitellin was purified from matured eggs by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for characterization of its biochemical properties : molecular weight, sugar and lipid composition, amino acid composition and electron microscopic morphology, etc. 1. A yamamai vitellin was composed of two subunits, large and small, showing different mobility in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. 2. The molecular weight of the vitellin was estimated to be approximately 450,000 dalton and the large and small subunits were 174,000 dalton and 44,000 dalton, respectively. 3. The vitellin seemed to be a glycolipoprotein since it showed a positive reaction to coomassie brilliant blue, sudan black B and PAS staining. Both subunits were similiar in this aspect. 4. Lipid of the witellin reveraled several different types including saturated lipids. 5. When the vitellin was incubated at 7$0^{\circ}C$ for 60 minites its apoprotein still cross-reacted to the specific antiserum to the native vitellin. Its sugar components were also detected by PAS staining, but its lipid portion was not detected by sudan black B staining. 6. Its amino acid composition was similar to that of other insects, but its glycine content was peculiarly very high. 7. The vitellin molecule was spherical in shape with a diameter of 14$\pm$0.8nm by negatively.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.370-377
• /
• 2001

Flounder brain cytosol contains protein inhibitors that markedly inhibit the activity of partially purified brain membrane phospholipase D (PLD) which is dependent on phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate ($PIP_2$) but insensitive to ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF), The PLD inhibitors have been enriched through several chromatographic steps and characterized with respect to size and mechanism of inhibition. Sequential chromatography of the brain cytosol yielded six inhibitor fractions, Two (IIA and IIB) of six inhibitor fractions showed the $PIP_2$-phosphatase activities. IIA was identified as synaptojanin, a nerve terminal protein that has known to be a member of the inositolpolyphosphate 5-phosphatase family, by immunoblot analysis. IIB showed an apparent molecular mass of 158 kDa by Superose 12 gel filtration chromatography and was immunologically distinct from synaptojanin. IIB hydrolyzed $PIP_2$, yielding only phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP) as product, suggesting that IIB hydrolyzes only one phosphate from either the 4- or 5-position of PI (4,5)$P_2$. These studies demonstrate that the existence of multiple $PIP_2$-phosphatases have been implicated in the negative regulation of $PIP_2$-dependent PLD activity within flounder brain.