• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.189-196
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• 2003

In order to evaluate the possible roles of secretory proteases in the pathogenesis of amoebic keratitis, we purified and characterized a serine protease secreted by Acanthamoeba lugdunensis KA/E2, isolated from a Korean keratitis patient The ammonium sulfate-precipitated culture supernatant of the isolate was purified by sequential chromatography on CM-Sepharose, Sephacryl S-200, and mono Q-anion exchange column. The purified 33 kDa protease had a pH optimum of 8.5 and a temperature optimum of $55^{\circ}C$. Phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride and 4-(2-Aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonyl-fluoride, both serine protease specific inhibitors, inhibited almost completely the activity of the 33 kDa protease whereas other classes of inhibitors did not affect its activity. The 33 kDa enzyme degraded various extracellular matrix proteins and serum proteins. Our results strongly suggest that the 33 kDa serine protease secreted from this keratopathogenic Acanthamoeba play important roles in the pathogenesis of amoebic keratitis, such as in corneal tissue invasion, immune evasion and nutrient uptake.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.84-90
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• 2024

This study investigates the effect of the surface microstructure on the tribological characteristics of glass substrates. Chemical etching using hydrofluoric acid and ammonium hydrogen fluoride was employed to create controlled asperity structures on glass surfaces. By varying the etching time from 10 to 50 min, different surface morphologies were obtained and characterized using optical microscopy, surface roughness measurements, and water contact angle analysis. Friction tests were performed using a stainless steel ball as the counter surface to evaluate the tribological behavior of the etched specimens. The results showed that the specimen etched for 20 min exhibited the lowest and most stable friction coefficient, which was attributed to the formation of a uniform and dense asperity structure that effectively reduced the stress concentration and wear at the contact interface. In contrast, specimens etched for shorter (10 min) or longer (30-50 min) durations displayed higher friction coefficients and accelerated wear owing to nonuniform asperity structures that led to local stress concentration. Optical microscopy of the wear tracks further confirmed the superior wear resistance of the 20-minute etched specimen. These findings highlight the importance of optimizing the etching process parameters to achieve the desired surface morphology for enhanced tribological performance, suggesting the potential of chemical etching as a surface modification technique for various materials in tribological applications.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 1998

To extract insoluble proteins and to improve functional properties of abolished proteins, a protease producing Aspergillus sp. MS-18 was isolated from soil. The enzyme was purified and its enzymological characteristics were investigated. It was found that production of protease reached to the maximum when the wheat brae medium containing, 3% arabinose, 0.5% polypepton, 0.1% $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ and 0.2% magnesium chloride was cultured for 3 days. Protease was purified 16.9 folds after ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration and the specific activity was 340.4 unit/mg. Purified enzyme was confirmed as a single band by the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of protease was estimated to be 30,000. Crystalization form of purified protease was a stick shape with rounding edges. The optimum pH and temperature for the protease activity were 9.0 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme was stable in pH 7.0-12.0 at $50^{\circ}C$. The activity of purified enzyme was inhibited by $Hg^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$ and $Pb^{2+}$, whereas it was activited by $Na^+$, $Mg^{2+}$ and $Mn^{2+}$. The activity of the protease was inhibited by the treatment with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and phenylmethane sulfonyl fluoride. The result suggests that the purified enzyme is a serine protease with metal ion at active site. Km and Vmax of purified protease were $29.33\;{\mu}mole/L$ and $5.13\;{\mu}g/min$, respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.177-184
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• 1977

Arylsulfatase catalyzes the release of SO$\sub$4//sup2/- from sulfate esters of simple phenols. Arylsolfatase occurs widely in animal tissues and in microorganisms including soil bacteria. Its widespread distribution suggests that it has a rather fundamental function and environmental meaning. It has been shown previously that arylsulfatase of Klebsiella was purified and characterized. A condition of arylsulfatase synthesis was tested with several strains of Serratia. Serratia marcescens could not utilize some sugars, such as xylose, rhamnose, glucosamine and arabinose hut glucose and mannitol as a sole carbon source. However, arylsulfatase synthesis was repressed by glucose but not by mannitol. The enzyme synthesis was repressed ob inorganic sulfate and methionine, and this repression was relieved by addition of tyramine. Arylsulfatase of S. marcescen was purified by fractionation with ammonium sulfate and followed by chromatographies on DEAE-Cellulose CM-Cellulose, and DEAE-Sephadex A-25. The molecular weight of arylsulfatase was determined to be 46,000 by SDS-Gel electrophoresis and 49,000 by Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The enzyme showed some different properties with that of K. aerogenes. The activity was maximum at pH 6.8. The Km and Vmax values for p-nitrophenyl sulfate were 2.5${\times}$10$\^$－4/ M and 20 nmoles/min/mg protein, respectively. The enzyme showed high activities toward phenyl sulfate, ο-and p-nitro phenyl sulfates, and p-nitrocatechol sulfate. The inhibition of enzyme was strongly affected by hydroxylamine, inorganic fluoride, sulfide and phosphate, but by inorganic sulfate. Like Klebsiella arylsulfatase, tyramine, octopamine, and dopamine gave signifcant inhibitory effect.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1486-1494
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• 2013

A high protease-producing strain was isolated and identified from the digestive tract of octopus vulgaris by detecting a hydrolysis circle of protease and its activity. The strain was identified by morphology observation, biochemical experiments, and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The protease obtained from the strain was purified by a three-step process involving ammonium sulfate precipitation, carboxy methyl-cellulose (CM-52) cation-exchange chromatography, and DEAE-Sephadex A50 anion-exchange chromatography. The properties of protease were characterized as well. The strain Bacillus sp. QDV-3, which produced the highest activity of protease, was isolated. On the basis of the phenotypic and biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA gene-sequencing studies, the isolate was identified as follows: domain: Bacteria; phylum: Firmicutes; class: Bacilli; order: Bacillales; family: Bacillaceae; and genus: Bacillus. The isolate was shown to have a 99.2% similarity with Bacillus flexus. A high active protease designated as QDV-E, with a molecular weight of 61.6 kDa, was obtained. The enzyme was found to be active in the pH range of 9.0-9.5 and its optimum temperature was $40^{\circ}C$. The protease activity retained more than 96% at the temperature of $50^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. Phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) inhibited the enzyme activity, thus confirming that this protease isolated from Bacillus sp. QDV-3 is an alkaline serine protease. Metal ions, $Mn^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$, were determined to enhance the protease activity, whereas $Ba^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, and $Cu^{2+}$ were found to inactivate the enzyme.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.109-109
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• 2018

Bacillus subtilis B22, a chemotrophic and aerobic bacterial strain was isolated from homemade kimchi, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. B22 was primarily screened by biochemical, carbon source utilization tests. B22 was used to produce pectinase and ${\beta}$-glucosidase by submerged fermentation under different light sources. B22 was incubated in pectin media and basal media (pH 7.0) under blue, green, red and white light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fluorescent white light, and in darkness at $37^{\circ}C$, orbital shaker 150 rpm for 24 hours. Fermentation under blue LEDs maximized pectinase production ($71.59{\pm}1.6U/mL$ at 24 h) and ${\beta}$-glucosidase production ($56.31{\pm}1.6U/mL$ at 24 h). Further, the production of enzyme increased to pectinase ($156{\pm}1.28U/mL$) and ${\beta}$-glucosidase ($172{\pm}1.28U/mL$) with 3% glucose as a carbon source. Activity and stability of the partially purified enzymes were higher at pH 6.0 to 8.0 and $25-55^{\circ}C$. The effect on the metal ions $Na^+$ and $K^+$ and (moderateactivity) $Mn^{2+}$ and $Ni^{2+}$ increased activity, while $Hg^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Fe^{2+}$, and $Fe^{2+}$ inhibited activity. EDTA, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and 5,5-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoicacid) reduced activity, while tetrafluoroethylene and 1,10-phenanthroline inhibited activity. The amylase was highly tolerant of the surfactants TritonX-100, Tween-20, Tween-80 and compatible with organic solvents methanol, ethanol, isoamylalcohol, isopropanol, t-butylalcohol and the oxidizing agents hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate and sodium hypochlorite, although potassium iodide and ammonium persulfate reduced activity. These properties suggest utility of pectinase and ${\beta}$-glucosidase produced by B. subtilis B22 under blue LED-mediated fermentation for industrial applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.66-66
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• 2011

Anodic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes are very attractive materials for gas sensors due to its large surface to volume ratios. The most widely known method for fabrication of TiO2 nanotubes is anodic oxidation of metallic Ti foil. Since the remaining Ti substrate is a metallic conductor, TiO2 nanotube arrays on Ti are not appropriate for gas sensor applications. Detachment of the TiO2 nanotube arrays from the Ti Substrate or the formation of electrodes onto the TiO2 nanotube arrays have been used to demonstrate gas sensors based on TiO2 nanotubes. But the sensitivity was much lower than those of TiO2 gas sensors based on conventional TiO2 nanoparticle films. In this study, Ti thin films were deposited onto a SiO2/Si substrate by electron beam evaporation. Samples were anodized in ethylene glycol solution and ammonium fluoride (NH4F) with 0.1wt%, 0.2wt%, 0.3wt% and potentials ranging from 30 to 60V respectively. After anodization, the samples were annealed at $600^{\circ}C$ in air for 1 hours, leading to porous TiO2 films with TiO2 nanotubes. With changing temperature and CO concentration, gas sensor performance of the TiO2 nanotube gas sensors were measured, demonstrating the potential advantages of the porous TiO2 films for gas sensor applications. The details on the fabrication and gas sensing performance of TiO2 nanotube sensors will be presented.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.201-208
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• 1998

A protease, which had no tryptic and chymotryptic activity, was purified from the hepatopancreas of shrimp, P. japonicus, through ammonium sulfate fractionation, Q­Sepharose ionic exchange, benzamidine Sepharose 6B affinity, and Sephacryl S-100 gel chromatography. Molecular weight (M.W.) of the protease was estimated to be 24 kDa by gel filtration and showed a single peptide band by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The protease had a low ratio of acidic to basic amino acids, which is different with pro teases from marine animals. The enzyme was partially inhibited by benzamidine, tosyl-L-lysine chioromethyl ketone (TLCK), phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI), and pepstatin. The enzyme did not have any activity against benzoyl-D,L-arginine p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) or benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester (BTEE) which is a specific substrate of trypsin and chymotrypsin, respectively. However, the enzyme showed activity forward N-CBZ-L-tyrosine p-nitrophenyl ester (CBZ-Tyr-pNE), N­CBZ-L-tryptophan p-nitrophenyl ester (CBZ-Trp-pNE), and N-CBZ-L-proline p-nitrophenyl ester (CBZ-Pro-pNE). The protease did not showed tryptic and chymotryptic activity, which was not reported in shrimp hepatopancreas.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 1996

A bacterial strain NS70 producing an alkaline protease was isolated from soil samples taken near a hot spring and identified as Bacillus licheniformis by its morphological and physiological properties and cellular fatty acid analysis. The isolated alkaline protease was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-, CM-, and Phenyl-Sepharose column chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 32, 000 Da by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its optimal pH and temperature for proteolytic activity against Hammarsten casein were 12 and $65^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme was stable at alkaline pH range from 6.0 to 12.0, and fairly stable up to $65^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride but not by EDTA and N-ethylmaleimide indicating that the enzyme is serine protease. Enzyme activity was markedly inhibited by $Hg^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$. Autolytic phenomena were observed on purified protease NS70 but autolysis was reduced by the addtion of $Ca^{2+}$ ion or bovine serum albumin.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.209-221
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• 2016

As a highly hydrophilic fibrillar mineral in nature, attapulgite (ATP) is a promising new additive for preparation of ultrafiltration (UF) hybrid membrane. In this work, ATP particles, which were grafted with a new Gemini surfactant of Ethyl Stearate-di(octadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) to detach the crystal bundles to single crystal and enhance the uniform dispersion in an organic polymer matrix, were incorporated into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix, and PVDF/Gemini-ATP hybrid membranes for adsorptive removal of Ni(II) ions from aqueous solution were prepared via a phase inversion method. Chemical composition, crystalization and morphology of the modified ATP were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The morphology of the hybrid membrane was characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the performance of permeability, hydrophilicity and adsorption of Ni(II) ions were studied, and the adsorption kinetics of the PVDF/ATP hybrid membranes were particular concerned. The results showed that the hybrid membrane displayed a good thermal stability and hydrophilicity. Comparing with PVDF membrane, the hybrid membrane possessed good adsorption capacity for Ni(II) ions, and the adsorption kinetics fit well with Lagergren second-order equation.