• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.82-88
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• 2000

A homologous gene to alanine racemase was cloned from a hyperthermophilic bacterium, Aquifex pyrophilus. The cloned gene encodes a protein of 341 amino acids, which has a significant homology to alanine racemase of Bacillus stearothermophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, and E. coli. When the gene was expressed in Escherichia coli, it produced a 40 kDa protein. The purified protein contains one mole pyridoxal 5-phosphate per one mole of protein, which is essential for catalytic activity of alanine racemase. The purified protein catalyzed racemization of L-alanine to D-alanine, or vice versa, indicating that the cloned gene encoded alanine racemase. It also showed significant racemization activity against L-serine and ${\alpha}-aminobutylic$ acid. The A. pyrophilus alanine racemase showed strong thermostability, and it maintained catalytic activity in the presence of organic solvents.

• Carbon letters
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 2007

Carbon Nano Tubes could be either metallic or semi-conducting in nature, depending on their diameter. Its photocatalytic behavior has given an impetus to use it as an anti-microbial agent. More than 95% Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria got killed when exposed to Carbon Nano Tubes for 30 minutes in presence of sunlight. Carbon Nano Tubes are supposed to have smooth surface on to which it accumulates positive charges when exposed to light. The surface that is non illuminated has negative charge. At the cellular level microorganisms produce negative charges on the cell membrane, Therefore damaging effect of multi walled carbon nano tubes (exposed to light) on the microorganisms is possible. In this paper, photo catalytic killing of microbes by multi walled carbon nano tubes is reported. Killing was due to damage in the cell membrane, as seen in SEM micrographs. Moreover biochemical analysis of membrane as well as total cellular proteins by SDS PAGE showed that there was denaturation of membrane proteins as well as total proteins of both the microbes studied. The killed microbes that showed a decrease in number of protein bands (i.e. due to breaking down of proteins) also showed an increase in level of free amino acids in microbes. This further confirmed that proteins got denatured or broken down into shorter units of amino acids. Increased level of free amino acids was recorded in both the microbes treated with multi walled carbon nano tubes and sunlight.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.146-150
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• 1996

A 2.1 kb cDNA clone for rat transketolase was isolated from rat liver ${\lambda}gt11$ cDNA library and its sequence was determined. The predicted rat transketolase (655 amino acids with $M_r$ 71,186) is highly similar (92%) to that of the human enzyme except that it contains an extra 32 amino acids at its N-terminus. Although it is less similar (<27%) to transketolases from non-mammalian species, the functional motifs such as the catalytic sites and thiamine binding domain are well conserved in the rat enzyme. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA verified that transketolase appears to be derived from a single gene. Immunoblot and Northern blot analyses suggested that hepatic transketolase was activated pretranslationally by a 2.1-fold while little change was observed in brain enzyme, indicating a tissue-specific pretranslational activation during postnatal development.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.76-82
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• 2003

To prepare evolved PHB depolymerase with increased activity for PHB or P(3HB-co-3HV) compared to the activity of the original PHB depolymerase from Alcaligenes faecalis T1, random mutation of the cloned PHB depolymerase gene was performed by using a DNA shuffling method. A library of mutated PHB depolymerase genes from A. faecalis T1 was fused to the ice nucleation protein (INP) gene from Pseudomonas syringae in pJHCl 1 and approximately 7,000 transformants were isolated. Using M9 minimal medium containing PHB or P(3HB-co-3HV) as the carbon source, mutants showing alteration in PHB depolymerase activity were selected from the transformants. The PHB depolymease activity of the transformants was confirmed by the formation of halo around colony and the turbidity decrease tests using culture supermatants. The catalytic activity of PHB depolymerase of the best mutant II-4 for PHB or P(3HB-co-13 mol% 3HV) was approximately 1.8-fold and 3.2-fold, respectively, higher than that of the original PHB depolymerase. DNA sequence analysis revealed that three amino acid residues (Ala209Val, Leu258Phe, and Asp263Thr) were substituted in II-4. From the mutational analysis, it was presumed that the substitution of amino acids near catalytic triad to more hydrophobic amino acids enhance the catalytic activity of PHB depolymerase from A. faecalis T1.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.107-110
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• 2001

Among the tested ten enzymes, Optimase M-440 showed the highest activity in transesterification of N-t-Boc-L-Phe-OTFE with D-glucose. Monosaccharides and their derivatives acted as good acyl acceptors in the Optimase M -440 catalyzed transesterification of N-t-Boc-L-Phe-OTFE. Optimase M-440 showed a preferable catalytic activity on the primary hydroxyl group of saccharides and a good regioselectivity. Optimase M-440 showed the highest activity in pyricline among the tested solvents. As acyl donors, trifluoroethyl esters of amino acids showed a high reactivity in transesterification. Optimase M-440 showed a broad substrate specificity towards amin 。 acid esters and saccharides.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1986.12a
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• pp.524.3-524
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• 1986

Carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) produced by cloned B. megaterium was found to contain 5.2% carbohydrate but no metal ion. The enzyme was isoelectric at pH 7.23 and was high is basic amino acids. The N-terminal of the enzyme was glutamic acid. The cellulolytic activity of this enzyme was extended to the small molecular substrates such as from cellotriose to cellopentaose. In additon, the enzyme showed transglycoslation activity. The pK values of the enzyme we estimated to be 4.4 and 6.7, andthat of the enzyme-substrate complex were 4.2 and 7.2, respectively. The enzyme was not affected by the treatment with iodoacetic acid, but the modification of enzyme with carbodiimide and diethyl pyrocarbonate resulted in a marked loss of the enzyme activity. These results suggest that the active site of enzyme essentially contains carboxylic and imidazole group of amino acid residues.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.471-477
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• 1998

Taq DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus is very useful in the polymerase chain reaction. Taq DNA polymerase is classified in the pol I family, represented by E. coli DNA polymerase I. The three-dimensional structural alignment of 3'-5'exonuclease domains from the pol I family DNA polymerases explains why Taq DNA polymerase does not carry out proofreading in polymerase chain reactions. Three sequence motifs, Exo I, II, and III, must exist to carry out 3'-5'exonuclease activity for proof- reading by a 3'-5'exonuclease reaction, but these are abolished in Taq DNA polymerase. The key catalytic module in 3'-5'exonuclease is two metal ions chelated by four active-site carboxylic amino acids. Taq DNA polymerase was mutagenized to construct the catalytic module in the active site. The circular dichroism technique supported the formation of the catalytic module, and the radioactive assay showed that the 3'-5'exonuclease activity doubled in the mutant Taq DNA polymerase.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.135-142
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• 1997

Random sequencing of expressed sequence tags in roots of Chinese cabbage led to isolation of a partial cDNA clone, BR77, which encoded a putative protein kinase. Using the BR77 cDNA as a probe, we isolated a full-length cDNA encoding the Brassica campestris protein kinase 1 (Bcpk1). The Bcpt1 cDNA contained one open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 439 amino acids. The putative polypeptide consisted of a short N-terminal region and a protein kinase catalytic domain. The catalytic domain of Bcpkl showed a high homology to cAMP- and calcium- phospholipid-dependent subfamilies of serine/threonine protein kineses. Eleven major catalytic domains in protein kineses were well conserved in Bcpk1. However, Bcpk1 contained a unique nonhomologous intervening sequence between subdomains VII and VIII, which was not found in protein kineses of animals and lower eukaryotes. Genomic DNA gel blot analysis showed that Bcpt1 genes might be present as three copies in the Chinese cabbage genome. These imply that Bcpk1 belongs to a plant-specific serine/threonine protein kinase subfamily.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2007

The lysozyme II gene of cabbage butterfly Artogeia rapae was cloned from fat body of the larvae injected with E. coli and its nucleotide sequence was determined by the RACE-PCR. It has an open reading frame of 414 bp nucleotides corresponding to 138 amino acids including a signal sequence of 18 amino acids. The estimated molecular weight and the isoelectric point of the lysozyme II without the signal peptide were 13,649.38 Da and 9.11, respectively. The A. rapae lysozyme II (ARL II) showed the highest identity (81%) in the amino acid sequence to Manduca sexta lysozyme among other lepidopteran species. The two catalytic residues ($Glu^{32}$ and $Asp^{50}$) and the eight Cys residue motifs, which are highly conserved among other c-type lysozymes in invertebrates and vertebrates, are also completely conserved. A phylogenetic analysis based on amino acid sequences indicated that the ARL II was more closely related to M. sexta, Hyphantria cunea, Heliothis virescens, and Trichoplusia ni lysozymes. The ARL II gene was expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda 21 insect cells and the recombinant ARL II (rARL II) was purified from cell-conditioned media by cation exchange column chromatography and reverse phase FPLC. The purified rARL II was able to form a clear zone in lysoplate assay against Micrococcus luteus. The lytic activity was estimated to be 511.41 U/mg, 1.53 times higher than that of the chicken lysozyme. The optimum temperature for the lytic activity of the rARL II was $50^{\circ}C$, the temperature dependency of the absolute lytic activity of rARL II was higher than that of the chicken lysozyme at low temperatures under $65^{\circ}C$.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1673-1679
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• 2008

In order to study the biological function of gapdh gene in yak, and prove whether the gapdh gene was a useful intra-reference gene that can be given an important role in molecular biology research of yak, the cDNA sequence encoding glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from yak was cloned by the RT-PCR method using gene specific PCR primers. The sequence results indicated that the cloned cDNA fragment (1,008 bp) contained a 1,002 bp open reading frame, encoding 333 amino acids (AAs) with a molecular mass of 35.753 kDa. The deduced amino acids sequence showed a high level of sequence identity to Bos Taurus (99.70%), Xenopus laevis (94.29%), Homo sapiens (97.01%), Mus musculus (97.90%) and Sus scrofa (98.20%). The expression of yak's gapdh gene in heart, spleen, kidney and brain tissues was also detected; the results showed that the gapdh gene was expressed in all these tissues. Further analysis of yak GAPDH amino acid sequence implied that it contained a complete glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase active site (ASCTTNCL) which ranged from 148 to 155 amino acid residues. It also contained two conserved domains, a NAD binding domain in its N-terminal and a complete catalytic domain of sugar transport in its C-terminal. The phylogenetic analysis showed that yak and Bos taurus were the closest species. The prediction of secondary structures indicated that GAPDH of yak had a similar secondary structure to other isolated GAPDH. The results of this study suggested that the gapdh gene of yak was similar to other species and could be used as the intra-reference to analyze the expression of other genes in yak.