• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.329-336
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• 2005

We examined the effect of PQQ, as a scavenger of superoxide, on osteoclast-like cell formation and on mature osteoclast function. To determine whether PQQ scavenges the superoxide, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) staining, which is a method to detect superoxide, was performed on HD-11 cells which are a chick myelomonocytic cell line having tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity in response to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3\;[1,25(OH)_2D_3]$. Histochemical study of TRAP was also performed on HD-11 cells. PQQ inhibited the TRAP-positive multinucleated cell formation of chicken bone marrow cells was also examined. The addition of 20 ${\mu}M$ PQQ inhibited the formation of TRAP-positive multinucleated cell. When chicken osteoclasts were cultured on dentin slices, treatment of 20 ${\mu}M$ PQQ resulted in a significant decrease in dentin resorption by osteoclasts in terms of total resorption area and number of resorption pits. The present data suggest that PQQ, possibly as a scavenger of superoxide ion, inhibits the osteoclastic differentiation and bone resorption.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1711-1714
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• 2010

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.27-30
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• 1999

Self-Assembled monolayers of carboxyl-terminated alkanethiols, which is negatively charged in pH 7.0, were usually used to facilitate the electron transfer between the positively charged protein and the electrode. In case of L-cysteine, as it has both positive and negative group, it can be a candidate for a new modifier to facilitate positively charged protein or negatively charged protein. Our investigation of L-cysteine shows that the electron transfer occurs successfully to both cytochrome c (cyt. c) and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). By using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dime-thlyaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC), we made a covalent bond between cyt. c and monolayer. Then PQQ was electrostatically adsorbed to the same monolayer. Cyclic voltammograms show that both molecules do not interfere each other and electron transfer is appreciable.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.95-98
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• 2000

An immunochemical method has been develooped as the most sensitive tool for studying the expression of quinoproteins containing pyrroloquinoline qinone(PQQ) in E. coli. The PQQ was conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA), and the conjugant was purified by using a $KwikSep^{TM}$ dextran desalting column chromatography. The PQQ-BSA conjugant was immunized to rabbits, and the IgG fractions of the antisera were purified. The most sensitive antibody against PQQ-BSA conjugant recognized some nanogram quantity of the antigen on the blot, but had little cross reactivity with BSA. Using this batch of the antibody, all the immunochemical assays of quinoproteins in E. coli were preformed. Some six different PQQ-specfic spots were detected by Western blot analysis of the soluble proteins in E. coli were performed. Some six different PQQ-specific spots were detected by Western blot analysis of the soluble proteins in E. coli after two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Their molecular weights on the blot were estimated to be about 100-, 90-, 72-, 58-, 52-, and 50kDa. Their pI values fell in the range from 4.8 to 5.5. These results stronly suggest that quinoproteins are present in E. coli, and that the protein moieties were covalently bound to PQQ.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.323-328
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• 2006

Serratia marcescens W1, isolated from cucumber-cultivated soil in Suwon, Korea, evidenced profound antifungal activity and produced the extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, chitinase and protease. In order to isolate the antifungal genes from S. marcescens W1, a cosmid genomic library was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. Transformants exhibiting chitinase and protease expression were selected, as well as those transformants evidencing antifungal effects against the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe grisea, and the cucumber leaf spot fungus, Cercospora citrullina. Cosmid clones expressing chitinase or protease exerted no inhibitory effects against the growth of fungal pathogens. However, two cosmid clones evidencing profound antifungal activities were selected for further characterization. An 8.2 kb HindIII fragment from these clones conditioned the expression of antagonistic activity, and harbored seven predicted complete open reading frames(ORFs) and two incomplete ORFs. The deduced amino acid sequences indicated that six ORFs were highly homologous with genes from S. marcescens generating pyrroloquinoline quinone(PQQ). Only subclones harboring the full set of pqq genes were shown to solubilize insoluble phosphate and inhibit fungal pathogen growth. The results of this study indicate that the functional expression of the pqq genes of S. marcescens W1 in E. coli may be involved in antifungal activity, via as-yet unknown mechanisms.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1261-1271
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• 2020

Cytochrome c_L (Cytc_L) is an essential protein in the process of methanol oxidation in methylotrophs. It receives an electron from the pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) cofactor of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) to produce formaldehyde. The direct electron transfer mechanism between Cytc_L and MDH remains unknown due to the lack of structural information. To help gain a better understanding of the mechanism, we determined the first crystal structure of heme c containing Cytc_L from the aquatic methylotrophic bacterium Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans MP^T at 2.13 Å resolution. The crystal structure of Ma-Cytc_L revealed its unique features compared to those of the terrestrial homologues. Apart from Fe in heme, three additional metal ion binding sites for Na⁺, Ca⁺, and Fe²⁺ were found, wherein the ions mostly formed coordination bonds with the amino acid residues on the loop (G93-Y111) that interacts with heme. Therefore, these ions seemed to enhance the stability of heme insertion by increasing the loop's steadiness. The basic N-terminal end, together with helix α4 and loop (G126 to Y136), contributed positive charge to the region. In contrast, the acidic C-terminal end provided a negatively charged surface, yielding several electrostatic contact points with partner proteins for electron transfer. These exceptional features of Ma-Cytc_L, along with the structural information of MDH, led us to hypothesize the need for an adapter protein bridging MDH to Cytc_L within appropriate proximity for electron transfer. With this knowledge in mind, the methanol oxidation complex reconstitution in vitro could be utilized to produce metabolic intermediates at the industry level.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.200-205
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• 1997

Bothl $Ca^{2+}$ and Sr$^{2+}$-containing methanol dehydrogenases (MDH) were purified to homogeneity with yields of 48% and 42%, respectively, from Methylabacillus methanolovorus sp. strain SK5. Most of the biochemical and structural properties were similar to each other. However, some differences were found: (1) although the overall shape of the absorption spectrum of Sr$^{2+}$-MDH was very similar to that of $Ca^{2+}$-MDH, the absorption intensity originating from the cofactor in Sr$^{2+}$. MDH was higher than that in $Ca^{2+}$-MDH. Small blue shift of the maximum was also observed. These are probably due to a difference in redox state of the cofactors in $Ca^{2+}$ and Sr$^{2+}$-MDH; (2) Sr$^{2+}$-MDH was more heat-stable than $Ca^{2+}$-MDH above 56$^{\circ}C$; (3) the V$_{max}$ values for the methanol-dependent activities of Sr$^{2+}$- and $Ca^{2+}$-MDH in the presence of 3 mM KCN were 2.038 and 808 nmol/mg protein/min, respectively. In addition, the $K_{m}$ values of Sr$^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$ MDH for methanol were 12 and 21 $\mu$M, respectively; (4) the endogenous activity of $Ca^{2+}$-MDH was more sensitive than that of Sr$^{2+}$-MDH in the presence of cyanide; (5) Diethyl pyrocarbonate treatment increased the enzyme activities of $Ca^{2+}$- and Sr$^{2+}$-MDH 4.2- and 1.4-folds, respectively. These results indicate that Sr$^{2+}$ stabilizes the structural conformation and enhances the activity of MDH more than $Ca^{2+}$.