• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2004

Thermodynamic properties of ubiquitin transient folding intermediate were studied by measuring folding kinetics in varying temperatures and denaturant concentrations. Through quantitative kinetic modeling, the equilibrium constant, hence folding free energy, between unfolded state and intermediate state in several different temperatures were calculated. Using these values, the thermodynamic parameters were estimated. The heat capacity change $({\Delta}C_p)$ upon formation of folding intermediate from unfolded state were estimated to be around 80% of the overall folding reaction, indicating that ubiquitin folding intermediate is highly compact. At room temperature, the changes of enthalpy and entropy upon formation of the intermediate state were observed to be positive. The positive enthalpy change suggests that the breaking up of the highly ordered solvent structure surrounding hydrophobic side-chain upon formation of intermediate state. This positive enthalpy was compensated for by the positive entropy change of whole system so that formation of transient intermediate has negative free energy.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.500-504
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• 2001

We scaled up a covalent immobilization system of urokinase to the activated Sepharose and used it repeatedly to cleava a fusion protein consisting of human growth hormone and GST fragment. After scale up from 6 ml to 250 ml. the column system still demonstrated basically the same performance in terms of urokinase immobilization and fusion protein cleavage. When the column was washed with 6 M guanidine HCI after the cleavage reaction, the immobilized urokinase showed no activity probably becasue it was fully unfoled. However, as the denaturant was gradually removed from the column the immobilized urokinase fully regained its bioactivity, which indicated it was properly refolded into is natie conformation as covalently attached to the solid matrix. After 20 cycles of this solid-phase unfolding/refolding. the immobilized urokinase maintained approx. 80% of the initial bioactivity. This method provides and efficient protocol to apply the solid-phase refolding technique to improve the longevity of immobilized enzyme columns.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.177-181
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• 2005

Effects of common electrophoretic reagents, reducing agents ($\beta$-mercaptoethanol [BME] and DTT), denaturants (SDS and urea), and non-ionic detergent (Triton X-100), on the activity and stability of bovine plasmin (b-pln) and human plasmin (h-pln) were compared. In the presence of 0.1% SDS (w/v), all reagents completely inhibited two plns, whereas SDS (1%) and urea (1 M) denatured plns recovered their activities after removal of SDS by treatment of 2.5% Triton X-100 (v/v). However, reducing agents (0.1 M of BME and DTT) treated plns did not restore their activities. Based on a fibrin zymogram gel, five (from b-pln) and four (from h-pln) active fragments were resolved. Two plns exhibited unusual stability in concentrated SDS and Triton X-100 (final 10%) and urea (final 6 M) solutions. Two bands, heavy chain-2 (HC-2) and cleaved heavy chain-2 (CHC-2), of b-pln were completely inhibited in 0.5% SDS or 3 M urea, whereas no significant difference was found in h-pln. Interestingly, 50 kDa (cleaved heavy chain-1, CHC-1) of b-pln and two fragments, 26 kDa (light chain, LC) and 29 kDa (microplasmin, MP), of h-pln were increased by SDS in a concentration dependent manner. We also found that the inhibition of SDS against both plns was reversible.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2010

Water quality and the distribution of ammonia oxidizing bacteria were characterized in constructed wetland of Shihwa lake. Both physico-chemical parameters and fecal indicator microorganisms including total coliforms, E.coli, Enterococcus spp. were measured. In addition, denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was carried out after PCR amplification of amoA gene from input, output, and wetland sites of the Banwol, Donghwa, and Samhwa stream in Shihwa lake area. Physico-chemical parameters were in proper range for typical nitrifying bacteria to grow and perform their biological activities. Average concentrations of fecal indicator microorganisms of wetland samples were lower than those of input sites. These results suggested that microbial water quality improved by the process of constructed wetland. According to phylogenetic information obtained from DGGE from study sites, distribution of nitrifying bacteria from each of input, output, and wetland were generally distinctive one another. In addition, distribution of nitrifying bacteria between Banwol and Donghwa streams showed higher similarity (52.6%) than this of Samhwa stream (15.2%). These results indicated that characteristics of ammonia oxidizing bacteria in Samhwa were unique in comparison with those of Banwol and Donghwa stream.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.143-154
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• 2002

The structural and functional aspects of ervatamin B were studied in solution. Ervatamin B belongs to the $\alpha+\beta$ class of proteins. The intrinsic fluorescence emission maximum of the enzyme was at 350 nm under neutral conditions, and at 355 nm under denaturing conditions. Between pH 1.0-2.5 the enzyme exists in a partially unfolded state with minimum or no tertiary structure, and no proteolytic activity. At still lower pH, the enzyme regains substantial secondary structure, which is predominantly $\beta$-sheet conformation and shows a strong binding to 8-anilino-1-napthalene-sulfonic acid (ANS). In the presence of salt, the enzyme attains a similar state directly from the native state. Under neutral conditions, the enzyme was stable in urea, while the guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) induced equilibrium unfolding was cooperative. The GuHCl induced unfolding transition curves at pH 3.0 and 4.0 were non-coincidental, indicating the presence of intermediates in the unfolding pathway. This was substantiated by strong ANS binding that was observed at low concentrations of GuHCl at both pH 3.0 and 4.0. The urea induced transition curves at pH 3.0 were, however, coincidental, but non-cooperative. This indicates that the different structural units of the enzyme unfold in steps through intermediates. This observation is further supported by two emission maxima in ANS binding assay during urea denaturation. Hence, denaturant induced equilibrium unfolding pathway of ervatamin B, which differs from the acid induced unfolding pathway, is not a simple two-state transition but involves intermediates which probably accumulate at different stages of protein folding and hence adds a new dimension to the unfolding pathway of plant proteases of the papain superfamily.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.369-378
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• 2017

Vascular endotherial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent mitogen that stimulates vascular permeability and angiogenesis and has a potential in therapeutic applications. An industrial production method that provides high yield as well as purity is needed. Researches for various factors of mild solubilization with combination of ubiquitin fusion protein to increase solubility were carried out as well as by changing pH and denaturant concentration. Usage of pET28-a bacteral expression vector in BL21 (DE3) host cell was capable of producing approximately 14 g/L VEGF fusion protein in 20L fermentor. A purification process consisting of four chromatography steps including refolding and digestion with UBP1 resulted in mild solublization under the conditions of 2M urea and pH 10.0 due to ubiquitin fusion tag protein that increases in solubility of target protein VEGF. High yield of refolding and dimerization could be obtained between two step Ni-affinity chromatography. Multimeric and misfolded proteins and endotoxin were removed by DEAE anion exchange chromatography. Final monomers were removed from dimers by gel filtration chromatography. Characterization analysis of purified dimeric VEGF was performed using SDS-PAGE and RP-HPLC with a purity of 97%.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.651-654
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• 1999

Using recombinant human growth hormone as a model protein, we carried out unfolding by adding a denaturant such as urea, guanidine HCl, or SDS followed by refolding by dilution and dialysis. The objectives were to monitor the structural changes during in vitro refolding process and, based on the results, to develop a quantitative method of refolding progress assessment. The changes in surface hydrophobicity were measured by fluorescence tagging of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate(1,8-ANS) to the hydrophobic portions, and those in the secondary structure were monitored by using far UV-CD(circular dichroism) spectroscopy. Also, we used RP-HPLC to separate and quantify the folded and unfolded proteins to correlate the result with the structure analysis. Our results indicate the surface hydrophobicity are well correlated with the formations of the secondary structure, primarily ${\alpha}$-helices, as well as the disulfide bridges. We expect this monitoring technique can be applied in industrial fields as a means to quantitatively assess the progress of in-vitro refolding of recombinant proteins.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2001

Erm proteins, MLS (macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B) resistance factor proteins, show high degree of amino acid sequence homology and comprise of a group of structurally homologous N-methyltransferases. On the basis of the recently determined structures of ErmC` and ErmAM, ErmSF was divided into two domains, N-terminal end catalytic domain and C-terminal end substrate binding domain and attempted to overexpress catalytic domain in E. coli using various pET expression systems. Three DNA fragments were used to express the catalytic domain: DNA fragment 1 encoding Met 1 through Glu 186, DNA fragment 2 encoding Arg 60 to Glu 186 and DNA fragment 3 encoding Arg 60 through Arg 240. Among the pET expression vectors used, pET 19b successfully expressed the DNA fragment 3 and pET23b succeeded in expression of DNA fragment 1 and 2. But the overexpressed catalytic domains existed as inclusion body, a insoluble aggregate. To assist the soluble expression of ErmSF catalytic domains, Coexpression of chaperone GroESL or Thioredoxin and lowering the incubation temperature to $22^{\circ}C$ were attempted, as did in the soluble expression of the whole ErmSF protein. Both strategies did not seem to be helpful. Solubilization with guanidine-HCl and renaturation with gradual removal of denaturant and partial digestion of overexpressed whole ErmSF protein (expressed to the level of 126 mg/ι culture as a soluble protein) with proteinase K, nonspecific proteinase are under way.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.603-611
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• 2014

The lectins were separated from Korean and Chinese mung bean seeds finally via chromatography using Sephadex G-100 and their biochemical features were studied and compared. They showed no hemagglutination with human red blood cells regardless of trypsin treatment and showed hemagglutination with only trypsin treated rabbit red blood cells. The molecular weights of two lectins were identified as 54 kDa and 28 kDa by SDS-PAGE. It was found that while the optimal reaction temperature of the lectin from Korean mung bean was $60^{\circ}C$, that of the lectin from Chinese mung bean seeds was $50^{\circ}C$. It was found also that the most thermal stable temperature of the seed lectin from Korean mung bean seeds was $50^{\circ}C$ and the lectin from Chinese mung bean was $40-50^{\circ}C$. The lectin from Korean mung bean seeds showed the highest activity at pH 3.2 and the lectin from Chinese mung bean showed the highest activity at pH 6.2. It was identified that when treating a denaturant, thiourea and guanidine-HCl resulted in no hemagglutination, so they induced denaturalization. It was identified also that there was no hemagglutination with urea, so it did not induced denaturalization. They showed no septicity to 6 types of carbohydrates including D-glucose. In addition, the lectins from the two mung bean seed had specificity to metal ions.