• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.895-898
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• 2005

In the course of searching for potent chitin synthase 1 inhibitors from natural resources, Streptomyces sp. A6705 was found to exhibit potent inhibitory activity against the chitin synthase 1 from C. albicans (CaCHS1p). As a result, the inhibitor was isolated and identified using a series of chromatographies. Through chemical analyses with UV spectrophotometry, MS spectrometry, and various NMR techniques, the inhibitor was identified as N,N-bis(2-phenylethyl)urea. The compound exhibited strong inhibitory activity against the chitin synthase 1 from C. albicans with an $IC_{50}$ of 14 ${\mu}g$/ml, representing a similar inhibitory activity to that of the well-known chitin synthase inhibitor, polyoxin D ($IC_{50}$ 15 ${\mu}g$/ml). However, the compound showed no inhibitory activity against the chitin synthase 2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae up to 280 ${\mu}g$/ml, which is structurally and functionally analogous to CaCHS 1 p. In addition, the compound exhibited weak antifungal activities against Cryptococcus neoformans and Rhizoctonis solani.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.251-257
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• 2000

Chitin synthases are identified as key enzymes of chitin biosynthesis in most of the fungi. Among them, chitin synthase II has been reported to be and essential enzyme in chitin biosynthesis, and exists as a membrane-bound form. To search and screen new antifungal agents from natural resources to inhibit chitin synthase II, the assay conditions were established using the enzyme isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae ECY38-38A(pAS6) that overproduces only chitin synthase II. This enzyme was activated only by partial proteolysis with trypsin. Its actibity reached the maximum at $80{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$ of trypsin and was strongly stimulated by 2.0 mM $Co^{2+}$, 1.0 nM UDP-[$^{14}C$]-GicNAc, and 32 mM free-GlcNAc. Under these assay conditions, the highest chitin synthase II activity was observed by incubation at $30^{\circ}C$ for 90 min. However, and extremely narrow range of organic solvents up to as much as 25% of DMSO and 25% of MeOH was useful for determining optimal assay conditions. After a search or potent inhibitors of chitin synthase II from natural resources, prodigiosin was isolated from Serratia marcescens and purified by solvent extration and silica gel column chromatographies. The structure of prodigiosin was determined by UV, IR, Mass spectral, and NMR spectral analyses. Its molecular weight and formula were found to be 323 and $C_{20}H_{25}N_{3}O$, respectively. Prodigiosin ingibited chitin synthase II by 50% at the concentration of $115{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$.