• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.9
• /
• pp.1502-1510
• /
• 2018

Organic solvent-tolerant (OST) enzymes are widely applied in various industries for their activity and stability in organic solvents, for their higher substrate solubility, and for their greater stero-selectivity. However, the criteria for identifying OST enzymes largely remain undefined. In this study, we compared the amino acid composition of 19 OST esterases with that of 19 non OST esterases. OST esterases have increased the ratio of Ala and Arg residues and decreased the ratio of Asn, Ile, Tyr, Lys, and Phe residues. Based on our amino acid composition analysis, we cloned a carboxylesterase (EstSP2) from a psychrophilic bacterium, Sphingomonas glacialis PAMC 26605, and characterized its recombinant protein. EstSP2 is a substrate specific to p-nitrophenyl acetate and hydrolyzed aspirin, with optimal activity at $40^{\circ}C$; at $4^{\circ}C$, the activity is approximately 50% of its maximum. As expected, EstSP2 showed tolerance in up to 40% concentration of polar organic solvents, including dimethyl sulfoxide, methanol, and ethanol. The results of this study suggest that selecting OST esterases based on their amino acid composition could be a novel approach to identifying OST esterases produced from bacterial genomes.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.59-63
• /
• 2004

By using PAGE, a study was made on the nonspecific esterase spectra of female genital organs and eggs in Bombyx mori L. The expression of 11 esterase bands was detected during ontogenesis of races and inter-races hybrids kept in Bulgaria. The gene activity of 9 esterase loci was assumed. Esterases specific for the spectrum of diapausing eggs were observed. In two esterase zones, intra- and inter-breed polymorphism was found. Based on the same breed specific expression, the existence of correspondence between esterase bands from spectra of different silkworm tissues and organs was suggested. Stage-specific expression of esterases in female genital glands, indicative of differentiated gene activity during ontogenesis, was established.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.5 no.5
• /
• pp.274-279
• /
• 1995

Ethyl caproate, one of the major flavor compounds deciding the quality of sake (Japanese wine), is produced during the brewing by the action of alcohol acyltransferase and esterases of sake yeast and koji mold. Extracellular esterases of Aspergillus oryzae required for ethyl caproate synthesis were purified partially. The enzymes had different optimum pH and affinity toward substrates. Substrate preferences and inhibition features showed the three enzymes to be B-type esterases or carboxylesterases (EC 3.1.1.1).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.50-54
• /
• 1998

Ethyl caproate is one of the important flavor compounds produced during the brewing of rice wine. The rice wine yeast and koji were reported to produce the esterases which synthesize and also hydrolyze ethyl caproate. From the results of monitoring the esterase activities of rice wine yeast and koji, their roles for producing ethyl caproate during brewing were postulated. In case of rice wine yeast, the production of esterase synthesizing ethyl caproate was influenced by the substrate, caproate but that of esterase hydrolyzing ethyl caproate was promoted by ethyl caproate but inhibited by caproate. The production of esterases of koji were not influenced by the substrates for ethyl caproate production but influenced by the growth of koji. The maximum concentration of ethyl caproate produced by rice wine yeast was 0.4 ppm in this research but the production of ethyl caproate by koji was not detected under our experimental conditions. Considering the results of this research, ethyl caproate is not produced by the esterases of koji during brewing but produced by the esterases of rice wine yeast. The growth of rice wine yeast represses that of koji because of the high concentration of ethanol produced by rice wine yeast. The esterases of rice wine yeast may decide the production of ethyl caproate during brewing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.49-56
• /
• 1999

Classification of esterase isozymes of the apterous green peach aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer) collected in tobacco fields were investigated by the native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). A total of twelve esterase bands were identified in adult apterous aphid, and the difference of enzyme band activity in the clones was observed at the first and second bands group. Esterases of green peach aphids reacted with specific substrate were more stained $\alpha$-naphthyl acetate than $\alpha$-naphthyl propionate, and $\alpha$-naphthyl acetate more than $\beta$-naphthyl acetate. Twelve esterases on the basis of inhibition by the three types of inhibitors (organophosphates: 2.5$\times$10$^{-3}$ M paraoxon, 4$\times$10$^{-3}$ M DFP; eserine sulfate : 2$\times$10$^{-3}$ M eserin; sulfhydryl reagents: 2$\times$10$^{-3}$ M p-HMB) were classified into three class, namely, cholinesterase (ChE) I, II, carboxylesterase (CE) and arylesterase (ArE), and these classes contained 3, 4, 3 and 2 isozymes, respectively.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2006

The primary metabolism of pyribenzoxim was studied in rat liver microsomes in order to identify the cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform(s) and esterases involved in the metabolism of pyribenzoxim. Chemical inhibition using CYP isoform-selective inhibitors such as ${\alpha}$-naphthoflavone, tolbutamide, quinine, chlorzoxazone, troleandomycin, and undecynoic acid indicated that CYP1A and CYP2D are responsible for the oxidative metabolism of pyribenzoxim. And inhibitory studies using eserine, bis-nitrophenol phosphate, dibucaine, and mercuric chloride indicated pyribenzoxim hydrolysis involved in microsomal carboxylesterases containing an SH group (cysteine) at the active center.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.21 no.12
• /
• pp.1203-1210
• /
• 2011

Function-driven metagenomic analysis is a powerful approach to screening for novel biocatalysts. In this study, we investigated lipolytic enzymes selected from an alluvial soil metagenomic library, and identified two novel esterases, EstDL26 and EstDL136. EstDL26 and EstDL136 reactivated chloramphenicol from its acetyl derivates by counteracting the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in Escherichia coli. These two enzymes showed only 27% identity in amino acid sequence to each other; however both preferentially hydrolyzed short-chain p-nitrophenyl esters (${\leq}C_5$) and showed mesophilic properties. In vitro, EstDL136 catalyzed the deacetylation of 1- and 3-acetyl and 1,3-diacetyl derivates; in contrast, EstDL26 was not capable of the deacetylation at $C_1$, indicating a potential regioselectivity. EstDL26 and EstDL136 were similar to microbial hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), and since chloramphenicol acetate esterase (CAE) activity was detected from two other soil esterases in the HSL family, this suggests a distribution of CAE among the soil microorganisms. The isolation and characterization of EstDL26 and EstDL136 in this study may be helpful in understanding the diversity of CAE enzymes and their potential role in releasing active chloramphenicol in the producing bacteria.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.38-44
• /
• 2003

In vitro inhibitory activity of 34 insecticides and 31 fungicides to glutathione-S-transferase and esterases extracted from rats was determined. Of tested pesticides, the pesticides with high activity on both detoxifying enzymes were mixed with pesticides that are known to be detoxified by detoxifying enzymes. Glutathione-S-transferase was inhibited by thiodicarb $(I_{50}:1.87\times10^{-4}M)$, thiocyclam $(7.40\times10^{-4}M)$, dithianon $(7.55\times10^{-5}M)$, and tolylfluanide $(8.66\times10^{-5}M)$, while esterases by dichlorvos $(8.95\times10^{-8}M)$, pirimicarb $(2.74\times10^{-6}M)$, pyrazophos $(3.31\times10^{-5}M)$, and benomyl $(4.96\times10^{-5}M)$. After acephate known to be detoxified by glutathione-S-transferase was mixed with glutathione-S-transferase-inhibiting pesticides and phenthoate known to be detoxified by esterases was mixed with esterases-inhibiting pesticides, insecticidal activities of such mixtures were determined against diamondback moth (PlutelLa xylostella L.). Synergistic action was observed in all pesticide combinations. The highest synergistic action was obtained when phenthoate was combined with dichlorvos, showing that co-toxicity coefficients were 1512 and 1877 after 24 and 48 hours of treatment, respectively. Several other combinations of pesticides, such as phenthoate with benomyl, and acephate with dithianon, also showed synergism, showing that their co-toxicity coefficients were about 1,000 and 500, after 24 hours of treatment, respectively. Our results showed that combinations of pesticides inhibited by detoxifying enzymes and ones detoxified by detoxifying enzymes resulted in increased toxicities of pesticides, suggesting that such combinations could be used to develop pesticide mixtures with more broad spectrum and high effectiveness.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.50-55
• /
• 2006

A field-resistant strain of the diamondback-moth(Plutella xylostella L.), collected from Chinese cabbage alpine farmland at Gangwon-do, Korea, was used for determination of the characteristics of resistance to chlorpyrifos using the activities of esterases and glutathione-S-transferase(GST), protein sequestration and AChE insenstivity. Although the activities of esterases extracted from resistant strain and susceptible strain were not significantly different, isozyme bands shown on the electrophoresis were different. GST activity from field resistant strain was 1.5-fold higher than that of susceptible. No differences were shown between resistant and susceptible ones in protein sequestration. The insensitivities of AChE to chlorpyrifos, however, extracted from susceptible strain was 460-fold higher than those of resistant. These results indicated that the insensitivity of AChE is the major factor for developing the resistance and activities of GST might be a minor factor.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.105-112
• /
• 2001

Insect pests can be controlled through direct application of insecticides. Insect control by residual protectants is relatively inexpensive and has an advantage of destroying all stages of infestations. The efficacy of control is largely determined by the concentration of insecticides to which the pest species is exposed. A reduction in the period of control in the field afforded by a specific level of a protectant indicates that resistance has developed. An increase in the level of protectant is required to maintain control, and the efficacy of currently used insecticides has been severely reduced by insecticide resistance in pest species. Development of resistance to particular insecticide varies with species because insecticide resistance is often correlated with increased levels of certain enzymes, which are cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases, glutathione S-transferases and esterases. Some sections of insecticide molecules can be modified by one or more of these primary enzymes. A reduction in the sensitivity of the action site of a xenobiotic also constitutes a mechanism of resistance. Acetylcholinesterase is a major target site for insecticide action, as are axonal sodium ion channels and ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid receptors. Development of reduced sensitivity of these target sites to insecticides usually occurs. This review not only may contribute to a better understanding of insecticide resistance, but also illustrates the gaps still present for a full biochemical understanding of the resistance.