• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.183-186
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• 2005

Arabidopsis AHL gene encodes a 3'(2')-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphate (PAP)-specific phosphatase that plays a role in the sulfate activation pathway. We complemented E. coli cysQ mutant defective in cysteine biosynthesis with the AHL gene. AHL cDNA was cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pKK388-1 and transformed into the bacterial mutant. Since cysQ mutant is a leaky cysteine auxotroph only under aerobic conditions, the bacteria were grown in liquid media with vigorous shaking to provide more aeration. In cysteine-free medium, cysQ mutant and the mutant harboring empty vector did not grow well, whereas cells harboring AHL cDNA exhibited significantly improved growth with doubling time of approximately 3 h. cysQ is known to encode a 3'(2'),5'-diphosphonucleoside 3'(2')-phosphohydrolase (DPNPase). However, our data suggest that cysQ protein has PAP-specific phosphatase activity in addition to DPNPase activity. Microbial complementation procedure described in this paper is useful for structure-activity studies of PAP-specific phosphatases identified from microbes and plants.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.621-626
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• 1994

Cysteine showed strong inhibitory effect on growth and protease production of Pseudo- monas sp. RP-222 and its mutant, MR-3966. Mid- to late-log phase cells were most sensitive to the presence of 10 mM cysteine. The inhibition caused by cysteine was almost completely overcome by addition of isoleucine, leucine and valine mixture to the medium, and inclusion of iso#leucine alone could greatly reduce the inhibitory effects of cysteine. Homocysteine and #cysteine, sulfur compounds having similar structure as cysteine, inhibited to varying degrees the growth of both strains. Cysteine and homocysteine were strong inhibitors of threonine deaminase but not transa#- minase B. These results suggest a relationship between the growth-inhibitory effects of cysteine and other sulfur compounds and the inhibition of isoleucine synthesis at the level of threonine deaminase.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.361-367
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• 1987

A DL-seleno-methionine resistant mutant, Cephalosporium acremonium MS-92 showed increased activities of sulfate and L-methionine uptake than the parent strain, and accumulated excess methionine and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) intracellularly. And the sulfate uptake system was severely inhibited by L-cysteine. In crude enzyme extracts, the mutant MS-92 showed lower L-serine sulfhydrylase (identical with cystathionine $\beta$-synthase) activity than the parent. Also, cysteine desulfhydrylase activity, an index of intracellular L-cysteine concentration, of the mutant MS-92 was decreased by about 50% as com-pared with that of the parent. Thus, it was supposed that the mutant MS-92 should have n lower level of L-cysteine than the parent. In C. acremonium like A. nidulans, the enzymes related to the biosynthesis of methionine might be regulated by L-cysteine, but not by methionine or SAM.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.466-469
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• 2002

An experiment has been conducted to measure the impact of UV radiation sensitivity on dermatophytes (Microsporum boullardii) by different UV radiation exposure time interval (1 min, 2 min 5 min, 10 min and 20 min) in degradation of keratin (Feather) in growth promoting substances of protein, cysteine, cystine and methionine from 7 to 28 days of incubation period. Mutant strain caused maximum weight loss with 1 minutes of UV radiation exposure at 21 day and mutant strain became immune in sensitivity at 14 days for decomposition of feathers. Maximum protein caused at 21st days with 20 minutes U.V radiation exposure and immune sensitivity had deducted with other UV radiation exposure time. On 28 days, mutant strains became immune with all exposure times, Whereas maximum methionine caused at 21st days with 20 minutes UV radiation exposure. Maximum cysteine caused at $14^{th}$ day with 5 minutes UV radiation exposure and mutant strain showed immune response at all time periods. Cystine production was also followed by cysteine at 21 day and also showed complete immune response with 1 and 2 minutes UV radiation exposure at7 and 14 days. Thus mutant strain of Microspornm boullardii can be used as a biotechnological tool for production of growth promoting substances.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.4169-4172
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• 2012

To elucidate the roles of cysteine residues in rice Phi-class GST F3, in this study, all three cysteine residues were replaced with alanine by site-directed mutagenesis in order to obtain mutants C22A, C73A and C77A. Three mutant enzymes were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by affinity chromatography on immobilized GSH. The substitutions of Cys73 and Cys77 residues in OsGSTF3 with alanine did not affect the glutathione conjugation activities, showing non-essentiality of these residues. On the other hand, the substitution of Cys22 residue with alanine resulted in approximately a 60% loss of specific activity toward ethacrynic acid. Moreover, the ${K_m}^{CDNB}$ value of the mutant C22A was approximately 2.2 fold larger than that of the wild type. From these results, the evolutionally conserved cysteine 22 residue seems to participate rather in the structural stability of the active site in OsGSTF3 by stabilizing the electrophilic substrates-binding site's conformation than in the substrate binding directly.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.435-439
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• 1993

For the overproduction of glutathione, Candida sp. mutant was isolated by the treatment with U.V. light. The highest glutathione production of Candida sp. mutant was obtained after shaking culture for 48 hours in the cullture medium containing glucose 1.5%(w/v), yeast extract 4.0% (w/v), KH2PO4 0.04%(w/v), biotin 5 ng/ml, and L-cysteine 0.04%(w/v). The optimal pH and temperature for the glutathione production were pH 6.0 and 25C, respectively.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 2009

In both gram-positive and several gram-negative bacteria, the transcription of dnaK and groE operons is negatively regulated by HrcA; however, the mechanism modulating HrcA protein activity upon thermal stress remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that HrcA is modulated via reduction and oligomerization in vitro. Native-PAGE analysis was used to reveal the oligomeric structure of HrcA. The oligomeric HrcA structure became monomeric following treatment with the reducing agent dithothreitol, and this process was reversed by treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, the mutant HrcA C118S exhibited reduced binding to CIRCE elements and became less oligomerized, suggesting that cysteine residue 118 is important for CIRCE element binding as well as oligomerization. Conversely, HrcA mutant C280S exhibited increased oligomerization. An HrcA double mutant (C118S, C280S) was monomeric and exhibited a level of oligomerization and CIRCE binding similar to wild type HrcA, suggesting that cysteine residues 118 and 280 may function as checks to one another during oligomer formation. Biochemical fractionation of E. coli cells overexpressing HrcA revealed the presence of HrcA in the membrane fraction. Together, these results suggest that the two HrcA cysteine residues at positions 118 and 280 function as reduction sensors in the membrane and mediate oligomerization upon stress.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.437-440
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• 2006

To explore the possible usefulness of ${\beta}$-glucans as natural antioxidants, the antioxidant profiles of ${\beta}$-glucan, extracted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae KCTC 7911, and water soluble and insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan, isolated from yeast mutant S. cerevisiae IS2, were examined by five different in vitro evaluation methods: lipid peroxidation value (POV), nitric oxide (NO), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, reducing power, and ${\beta}$-carotene diffusion assay. The antioxidant activities of all ${\beta}$-glucans evaluated in POV test were comparable to or better than that of the known antioxidant, vitamin C. Remarkably, the ${\beta}$-glucan and water insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan possessed 2.5-fold more potent activity than vitamin C at a dosage of 2 mg. Although vitamin C showed 100-fold greater activity than all ${\beta}$-glucans in NO and DPPH tests for measuring the radical scavenging capacity, all ${\beta}$-glucans revealed higher radical scavenging activity than the known radical scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), in DPPH test. The water insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan had 2.6- and 5-fold greater antioxidative activity than water soluble ${\beta}$-glucan in NO and DPPH tests, respectively, showing that all ${\beta}$-glucans were able to scavenge radicals such as NO or DPPH. While all ${\beta}$-glucans revealed lower antioxidant profiles than vitamin C in both reducing power activity and ${\beta}$-carotene agar diffusion assay, the ${\beta}$-glucan and water insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan did show a marginal reducing power activity as well as a considerable ${\beta}$-carotene agar diffusion activity. These results confirmed the potential usefulness of these ${\beta}$-glucans as natural antioxidants.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.178-185
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• 2002

The Arabidopsis thaliana S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) cDNA ($GenBank^{TM}$ U63633) was cloned. Site-specific mutagenesis was performed to introduce mutations at the conserved cysteine $Cys^{50}$, $Cys^{83}$, and $Cys^{230}$, and $lys^{81}$ residues. In accordance with the human AdoMetDC, the C50A and C230A mutagenesis had minimal effect on catalytic activity, which was further supported by DTNB-mediated inactivation and reactivation. However, unlike the human AdoMetDC, the $Cys^{50}$ and $Cys^{230}$ mutants were much more thermally unstable than the wild type and other mutant AdoMetDC, suggesting the structural significance of cysteines. Furthermore, according to a circular dichroism spectrum analysis, the $Cys^{50}$ and $Cys^{230}$ mutants show a higher a-helix content and lower coiled-coil content when compared to that of wild type and the other mutant AdoMetDC. Also, the three-dimensional structure of Arabidopsis thaliana AdoMetDC could further support all of the data presented here. Summarily, we suggest that the $Cys^{50}$ and $Cys^{230}$ residues are structurally important.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.472-477
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• 2001

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) is the first and key enzyme in eukaryotic polyamine biosynthesis. The cDNA encoding ornithine decarboxylase from Nicotiana glutinosa was cloned ($GeBank^{TM}$ AF 323910) and expressed in E. coli. Site directed mutagenesis were performed on several highly conserved cysteine residues. Among the mutants, C115A showed significant changes in the kinetic properties. The $K_m$ value of the C115A mutant was $1790\;{\mu}M$, which was 3-fold higher than that of the wild-type ODC. There was a dramatic decrease in the $k_{cat}$, values of the C115A mutant, compared to that of the wild-type ODC, which had a $k_{cat}$ value of $77.75\;s^{-1}$. C115A caused a shift in the optimal pH from 8.0 to 8.4. Considering these results, we suggest that cys-115 is involved in the catalytic activity of N. glutinosa ODC.