• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.575-581
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• 2009

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines, which are essential for cell growth, differentiation, and proliferation. This report presents the characterization of an ODC-encoding cDNA (SlitODC) isolated from a moth species, the tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera); its expression in a polyamine-deficient strain of yeast, S. cerevisiae; and the recovery in polyamine levels and proliferation rate with the introduction of the insect enzyme. SlitODC encodes 448 amino acid residues, 4 amino acids longer than B. mori ODC that has 71% identity, and has a longer C-terminus, consistent with B. mori ODC, than the reported dipteran enzymes. The null mutant yeast strain in the ODC gene, SPE1, showed remarkably depleted polyamine levels; in putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, the levels were > 7, > 1, and > 4%, respectively, of the levels in the wild-type strain. This consequently caused a significant arrest in cell proliferation of > 4% of the wild-type strain in polyamine-free media. The transformed strain, with the substituted SlitODC for the deleted endogenous ODC, grew and proliferated rapidly at even a higher rate than the wild-type strain. Furthermore, its polyamine content was significantly higher than even that in the wild-type strain as well as the spe1-null mutant, particularly with a very continuously enhanced putrescine level, reflecting no inhibition mechanism operating in the putrescine synthesis step by any corresponding insect ODC antizymes to SlitODC in this yeast system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.47-52
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• 2002

Saccharomyces cerevisiae KNU5377 (KNU5377) and S. cerevisiae ATCC24858 (ATCC24858) were exposed to $H_2SO_4$ as a stress, which was added at various concentrations to a YPD media. The growth of KNU5377 was reduced to approximately 60% in the YPD media containing 40 nm sulfuric acid when compared to the non-stressed condition. When their growth was monitored during an overnight culture, two strains, KNU5377 and ATCC24858, could not grow when exposed to over 50 mM of sulfuric acid. After a short exposure to this acid for 1 h, KNU5377 exhibited stronger resistance against $H_2SO_4$ than ATCC24858. The neutral trehalase activity of KNU5377 unchanged despite under various concentrations of $H_2SO_4$. In contrast, It at of ATCC24858 was much low at higher $H_2SO_4$concentrations. Trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide, was maximally accumulated after a short exposure to 60 nm $H_2SO_4$ for KNU5377, but it was reduced under more severe stressful conditions. These results suggest that KNU5377 should modulate the trehalose concentrations under the severe stress condition of high sulfuric acid concentrations. The most highly induced protein in the KNU5377 exposed to sulfuric acid was found to be an approximately 23 kDa protein, which was revealed to be the 605 large subunit ribosomal protein, Ll3 by FASTA search results.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.177-184
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• 2010

The target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway is a conserved pathway that regulates eukaryotic cell growth in response to environmental cues. Chemical genomic approaches that profile rapamycin sensitivity of yeast deletion strains have given insights into the function of TOR signaling pathway. In the present study, we analyzed the rapamycin sensitivity of yeast deletion library strains on synthetic medium. As a result, we identified 130 strains that are hypersensitive or resistant to rapamycin compared with wild-type cells. Among them, 36 genes are newly identified to be related to rapamycin sensitivity. Moreover, we found 16 strains that show alteration in rapamycin sensitivity between complex and synthetic media. We suggest that these genes may be involved in part of TOR signaling activities that is differentially regulated by media composition.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.290-292
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• 2004

Heavy metal contamination has been increased in aqueous environments near many industrial facilities, such as metal plating facilities, mining operations, and tanneries. The soils in the vicinity of many military bases are also reported to be contaminated and pose a risk of groundwater and surface water contamination with heavy metals. The biological removal of metals through bioaccumulation has distinct advantages over conventional methods; the process rarely produces undesirable or deleterious chemical byproducts, it is highly efficient, easy to operate and cost-effective in the treatment of large volumes of wastewater containing toxic heavy metals. In addition, a recent development of molecular biology shed light on the enhancing the microorganism's natural remediation capability as well as improving the current biological treatment. In this study, characteristics of the cell growth and heavy metal accumulation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains expressing phytochelatin syntahse (PCS) gene were studied in batch cultures. The AtCRFI gene was demonstrated to confer substantial increases in metal tolerance in yeast. PCS-expressing cells tolerated more Cd$^{2＋}$ than controls.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2005

Using a general Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model strain, continuous ethanol fermentation was carried out in a stirred tank bioreactor with a working volume of 1,500 mL. Three different gravity media containing glucose of 120, 200 and 280 g/L, respectively, supplemented with 5 g/L yeast extract and 3 g/L peptone, were fed into the fermentor at different dilution rates. Although complete steady states developed for low gravity medium containing 120 g/L glucose, quasi-steady states and oscillations of the fermented parameters, including residual glucose, ethanol and biomass were observed when high gravity medium containing 200 g/L glucose and very high gravity medium containing 280 g/L glucose were fed at the designated dilution rate of $0.027\;h^{-1}$. The observed quasi-steady states that incorporated these steady states, quasi-steady states and oscillations were proposed as these oscillations were of relatively short periods of time and their averages fluctuated up and down almost symmetrically. The continuous kinetic models that combined both the substrate and product inhibitions were developed and correlated for these observed quasi-steady states.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.84-91
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• 2006

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae pgs1 nulI mutant, which is deficient with phosphatidyl glycerol (PG) and cardiolipin (CL) biosynthesis, grows well on most fermentable carbon sources, but fails to grow on non-fermentable carbon sources such as glycerol, ethanol, and lactate. This mutant also cannot grow on galactose medium as the sole carbon source. We found that the incorporation of $[^{14}C]-galactose$, which is the first step of the galactose metabolic pathway (Leloir pathway), into the pgs 1 null mutant cell was extremely repressed. Exogenously expressed PGS1 (YCpPGS1) under indigenous promoter could completely restore the pgs1 growth defect on non-fermentable carbon sources, and dramatically recovered $[^{14}C]-galactose$ incorporation into the pgs1 mutant cell. However, PGS1 expression under the GALl promoter $(YEpP_{GAL1}-PGS1myc)$ could not complement pgs1 mutation, and the GAL2-lacZ fusion gene $(YEpP_{GAL2}-lacZ)$ also did not exhibit its $\beta-galactosidase$ activity in the pgs1 mutant. In wild-type yeast, antimycin $A(1\;{\mu}g/ml)$, which inhibits mitochondrial complex III, severely repressed not only the expression of the GAL2-lacZ fusion gene, but also uptake of $[^{14}C]-galactose$. However, exogenously expressed PGS1 partially relieved these inhibitory effects of antimycin A in both the pgs1 mutant and wild-type yeast, although it could not basically restore the growth defect on galactose by antimycin A. These results suggest that the PGSI gene product has an important role in utilization of galactose by Gal genes, and that intact mitochondrial function with PGS1 should be required for galactose incorporation into the Leloir pathway. The PGS1 gene might provide a clue to resolve the historic issue about the incapability of galactose with deteriorated mitochondrial function.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1397-1402
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• 2010

Papyriflavonol A (PapA), a prenylated flavonoid [5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-6,5'-di-(${\gamma},{\gamma}$-dimethylallyl)-flavonol], was isolated from the root barks of Broussonetia papyrifera. Our previous study showed that PapA has a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. In this study, the mode of action of PapA against Candida albicans was investigated to evaluate PapA as an antifungal agent. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 10~25 ${\mu}g/ml$ for C. albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium), and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus). The kinetics of cell growth inhibition, scanning electron microscopy, and measurement of plasma membrane florescence anisotrophy revealed that the antifungal activity of PapA against C. albicans and S. cerevisiae is mediated by its ability to disrupt the cell membrane integrity. Compared with amphotericin B, a cell-membrane-disrupting polyene antibiotic, the hemolytic toxicity of PapA was negligible. At 10~25 ${\mu}g/ml$ of MIC levels for the tested strains, the hemolysis ratio of human erythrocytes was less than 5%. Our results suggest that PapA could be a therapeutic fungicidal agent having potential as a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.211-215
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• 2003

When Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTY62, a high-RNA content yeast, was cultivated by fed-batch mode feeding molasses and com steep liquor, the cell density less than 45g-DCW/L and the RNA content less than 140mg/g-cell were obtained, indicating that unknown compounds inhibiting the cell growth and RNA accumulation are contained in the molasses. Therefore, in order to obtain higher levels of cell density and RNA content, $Ca^{++}$, $Cu^{++}$and $K^{+}$ ions in molasses were removed by pretreatments of molasses with various agents such as IonClear BigBead, $Na_2$$HPO_4$, $H_2$$SO_4$, citric acid, $K_2$$HPO_4$, and EDT A. Among them, IonClear BigBead, $Na_2$$HPO_4$, and EDTA gave the highest $Ca^{++}$ removal efficiency of about 60-90%. In the batch culture with pretreated molasses, the cell concentration of 18.6g-DCW/I and RNA concentration of 3127 mg/I, maximum specific growth rate of 0.459$h^{-1}$ , and specific consumption rate of reducing sugar of 1.28g-sugar/g-cell-h were obtained, which are about 10%, 17%,47%, and 36% higher levels, respectively, over the batch culture with untreated molasses.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.206-211
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• 2001

In order to overexpress constitutively the Kluyveromyces marxianus exoinulinase gene (INUI) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, four episomal expression systems employing GAPDH, ADHI, PGK and ENOI promoters were constructed as p YIGP aADHI -INU, pPGK-INU, and pENOI- INU plasmids respectively, When S cereviais transformants harboring each plasmid were batchwisely cultivated in the fermentor containing 5% glucose medium no significant differences in the cell growth are observed How- ever the experession level of exoinulinase and plasmid stability showed a strong dependency on the promoter employed. The expression levels of exoinulinase were about 1.70 unit/ml for GAPDH promoter 1.67 unit/ml for PGK promoter, 1.29 unit /ml for ADH1 promoter, and 0.80 unit/ml for ENOl promoter. The plasmid stabilites were maintaines above 80% in all experession systems. except the GAPDH promoter system of 55%, Based on the plas- mid stability and expression level of exoinulinase the ADHl and PGK promoter system were selected for the fed - batch culture to overproduce exoinulinase By the intermittent feeding of yeast extract and glucose, both promoter systems gave the cell concentration of about 30 g-dry cell weight/1 byt the maximal exoinulinase activity of 3.70 unit/ml and plasmid stability of 96% in the ADH1 promoter were higher than those (2.70 unit/ml, 80%) of PGK sys- tem Taking into account the plasmid stability and extended culture time the ADH1 promoter systems would be the most feasible expression systems for the constitutive overproduction of exoinulinase through high cell-density fed- batch cultures using non-selective rich medium.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 1994

The research has been carried out to optimize a recombinant S. cerevisine fermentation process for the production of an anticoagulant hirudin. The structural gene coding for hirudin was combined with the GAL10 promoter for controlled expression, the MFal signal sequence for hirudin secretion, and the GAL7 terminator for transcriptional termination. Growth medium composition and environmental conditions were optimized for maximizing cell growth and final hirudin concentration. The optimized conditions included yeast extract 40g/$\ell$, casamino acid 5g/$\ell$, g1ucose 20g/$\ell$, galactose 30g/$\ell$, DO 50% and temperature $30^{\circ}C$. These conditions yielded the specific cell growth rate of $0.13hr^{-1}$, the final cell density of 30g cell/$\ell$ and the final hirudin concentration of 64mg/$\ell$ in the batch fermentation with a 2.5$\ell$ jar fermentor.