• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.301-306
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• 1994

This study was planned to estimate the activity of bovine circulating blood lymphocytes using phytohemagglutinin-M(PHA) known as T cell mitogen. Bovine circulating blood mononuclear cells(MNCs) was separated, and cultured with or without macrophage($PHA^+/M{\phi}^+$ or $PHA^+/M{\phi}^-$) in conditioned medium which stimulated with various concentration of PHA(0, 5, 10, 15 and $20{\mu}g/ml$ in medium), and then investigated the blastogenic response and rosette formation of lymphocytes. Blastogenic rate(BR) was especially increased in PHA concentration(10 and $15{\mu}g/ml$) of $PHA^+/M{\phi}^+$ group and their BR were $41.5{\pm}6.8%$ and $44.4{\pm}8.9%$, respectively and BR in PHA concentration(15 and $20{\mu}g/ml$) of $PHA^+/M{\phi}^-$ group was $32.8{\pm}6.2%$ and $31.4{\pm}4.6%$, respectively. BR of lymphocytes was more increased in $PHA^+/M{\phi}^+$ than $PHA^+/M{\phi}^-$ group when these cells were stimulated by PHA. Rosette forming rate(RFR) of lymphocytes to SRBC highly increased when SRBC was treated with AET and/or dextran, respectively. On the orther hand, RFR significantly increased more in $PHA^+/M{\phi}^+$ and $PHA^+/M{\phi}^-$ group than in control group, but when compared with two groups, statistical significancy was recognized only in PHA concentration($15{\mu}g/ml$, p<0.026) of $PHA^+/M{\phi}^+$ group.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.2018-2026
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• 2007

A bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa BM114, capable of accumulating a blend of medium-chain-length (MCL)- and short-chain-length (SCL)-polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (PHA), was isolated. Salicylic acid (SA), without being metabolized, was found to specifically inhibit only the accumulation of MCL-PHA without affecting cell growth. An addition of 20 mM SA selectively inhibited the accumulation of MCL-PHA in decanoate-grown cells by 83% of the control content in one-step cultivation, where overall PHA accumulation was inhibited by only ${\sim}11%$. Typically, the molar monomer-unit ratio of the PHA for 25 mM decanoate-grown cells changed from 46:4:25:25 (=[3-hydroxybutyrate]:[3-hydroxycaproate]: [3-hydroxyoctanoate]:[3-hydroxydecanoate]) at 0 mM SA (dry cell wt, 1.97 g/l; PHA content, 48.6 wt%) to 91:1:4:4 at 20 mM SA (dry cell wt, 1.85 g/l; PHA content, 43.2 wt%). Thus, the stimulation of SCL-PHA accumulation was observed. Growth of P. aeruginosa BM114 on undecanoic acid also produced a PHA blend composed of 47.4% P(3HB-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and 52.6% P(3-hydroxyheptanoate-co-3-hydroxynonanoate-co-3-hydroxyundecanoate). Similar to the case of even-carboxylic acids, SA inhibited the accumulation of only MCL-PHA, but stimulated the accumulation of SCL-PHA. For all medium-chain fatty acids tested, SA induced a stimulation of SCL-PHA accumulation in the BM114 strain. SA could thus be used to suppress only the formation of MCL-PHA in Pseudomonas spp. accumulating a blend of SCL-PHA and MCL-PHA.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2002

The effect of $\beta$-TCP and PHA as additives on initial setting time, compressive strength and surface micro-structure after in vitro test of bone cement in TTCP and DCPA system was investigated. The median particle sizes of TTCP, $\beta$-TCP, DCPA and PHA for bone cement were about 3, 5, 0.9 and 4${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, respectively. Initial setting time and compressive strength of bone cement with various composition was measured by Vicat test and Universal Testing Machine, and surface morphology and crystalline phases of bone cements were observed and analyzed by SEM and x-ray diffractometer. Initial setting time was not affected by composition but by powder/liquid ratio, and cement with PHA required double amount of solution for paste as much as one without PHA, especially. It was thought that $\beta$-TCP and PHA in bone cements was not related to setting reaction. Thus, the addition of $\beta$-TCP and PHA in bone cements decreased compressive strength and inhabited HAP from being produced on surface in vitro test. In conclusion, it was not expected that $\beta$-TCP and PHA in TTCP-DCPD bone cements enhanced the strength and bioacitivity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1935-1939
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• 2006

The gene encoding the extracellular medium-chain-length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (MCL-PHA) depolymerase of Pseudomonas luteola Ml3-4, $phaZ_{plu}$, was cloned and analyzed. It was found to be 849 bp, with a deduced protein of 282 amino acids, and was revealed to have a typical leader peptide at its N terminus. The amino acid sequence of $PhaZ_{plu}$ revealed relatively low identity (69 to 72%) with those of other Pseudomonas MCL-PHA depolymerases. In comparison with the amino acid sequences of all available MCL-PHA depolymerases, the depolymerase was found to consist of three domains in sequential order; signal peptide, an N-terminal substrate binding domain, and a catalytic domain, indicating that $PhaZ_{plu}$ belongs to the type IV depolymerases family. The enzyme also contained Asn as an oxyanion hole amino acid.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.285-294
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• 2005

A bacterial strain M4-7 capable of degrading various polyesters, such as poly$(\varepsilon-caprolactone)$, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate), and poly(3-hydroxy-5-phenylvalerate), was isolated from a marine environment and identified as Pseudomonas alcaligenes. The relative molecular mass of a purified extracellular medium-chain-length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (MCL-PHA) depolymerase $(PhaZ_{palM4-7})$ from P. alcaligenes M4-7 was 28.0 kDa, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The $PhaZ_{palM4-7}$ was most active in 50 mM glycine-NaOH buffer (pH 9.0) at $35^{\circ}C$. It was insensitive to dithiothreitol, sodium azide, and iodoacetamide, but susceptible to p-hydroxymercuribenzoic acid, N-bromosuccinimide, acetic anhydride, EDTA, diisopropyl fluorophosphate, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, Tween 80, and Triton X-100. In this study, the genes encoding MCL-PHA depolymerase were cloned, sequenced, and characterized from a soil bacterium, P. alcaligenes LB19 (Kim et al., 2002, Biomacro-molecules 3, 291-296) as well as P. alcaligenes M4-7. The structural gene $(phaZ_{palLB19})$ of MCL-PHA depolymerase of P. alcaligenes LB19 consisted of an 837 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein of 278 amino acids with a deduced $M_r$ of 30,188 Da. However, the MCL-PHA depolymerase gene $(phaZ_{palM4-7})$ of P. alcaligenes M4-7 was composed of an 834 bp ORF encoding a protein of 277 amino acids with a deduced Mr of 30,323 Da. Amino acid sequence analyses showed that, in the two different polypeptides, a substrate-binding domain and a catalytic domain are located in the N-terminus and in the C-terminus, respectively. The $PhaZ_{palLB19}$ and the $PhaZ_{palM4-7}$ commonly share the lipase box, GISSG, in their catalytic domains, and utilize $^{111}Asn$ and $^{110}Ser$ residues, respectively, as oxyanions that play an important role in transition-state stabilization of hydrolytic reactions.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2008

The thermal properties, morphology, mechanical properties and gas permeability of the blends of poly (amic acid) (PAA) and poly (o-hydroxyamides) (PHAs) having pendant group was investigated. The 5% weight loss and major weight loss of the b)ends occurred in the ranges of $348{\sim}407^{\circ}C$ and $589{\sim}615^{\circ}C$ upon a heating process. After a thermical annealing, the tensile strength and initial modulus of blends increased $3.7{\sim}52.9%$ and $34.4{\sim}70%$ from the value of pure PAA, respectively. Especially the tensile strength and modulus of the PAA/MP-PHA=9/1 showed the highest values (97.5 MPa and 2.67 GPa, respectively), which were 53 and 70% higher than those of pure PAA. The fine PHA domains were found to be uniformly dispersed. The interfacial adhesion between PAA and PHA was identified to be good. The gas permeabilities of PAA/M-PHA blend increased with M-PHA contents.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.155-160
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• 2000

Pseudomnas sp. HJ-2 is capable of producing a rubber-elastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) consisting of 3- hydroxybutyrate (3HB), 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV), and 3-hydroxyheptanoate (3HHp) from heptanoic acid as the sole carbon source. The polyester produced was a blend of poly(3HB-co-3HV) and poly(3HHp). Although the mixing of poly(3HHp) fraction to poly(3HB-co-3HV) resulted in a decrease of modulus, the sole fraction of poly(3HB-co-3HV) with a high molar fraction of 3HV was shown to be an elastomer with the maximum percent strain of 740%. The biomass yield and the PHA synthesis were relatively high when the initial heptanoic acid concentration was 40 mM, and were significantly decreased when the substrate concentration exceeded 50 mM. The accumulation of PHA was stimulated by deficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus in the medium. The PHA contents and its monomeric compositions were greatly affected by pH and oxygen transfer rate. At pH 7.5, poly(3HB-~0.38% 3HV) was produced from heptanoic acid and a mixture of 95% 3HHp and 5% 3HV was produced at pH 8.0. Increased conten1 of 3HHp in the polyesters with lhe increasing oxygen transfer rate by agitation speed a1 a fixed aeration rate was observed.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.129-133
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• 2002

The fungus, Emericellopsis minima W2, capable of degrading poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was isolated from a waste water sample. Production of the PHB depolymerase from E. minima W2 (PhaZ/ sub Emi/) was significantly repressed in the presence of glucose. PhaZ/ sub Emi/ was purified by column chromatography on Octyl-Sepharose CL-4B and Sephadex G-100. The molecular mass of the PhaZ/ sub Emi/), which consisted of a single polypeptide chain, was estimated to be 48.0 kDa by SDS-PAGE and its pI vague was 4.4. The maximum activity of the PhaZ/ sub Emi/ was observed at pH 9.0 and 55$\^{C}$. It was significantly inactivated by 1mM dithiothreitol, 2mM diisopropyl fluorphosphate, 0.1mM Tween 80, and 0.1 mM Triton X-l00, but insensitive to phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and N-ethylmaleimide. The PhaZ/ sub Emi/ efficiently hydrolyzed PHB and its copolyester with 30 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate, but did not act on poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate). It also hydrolyzed p-nitrophenylacetate and p-nitrophenylbutyrate but hardly affected the longer-chain forms. The main hydrolysis product of PHB was identified as a dimer of 3-hydroxybutyrate.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.220-228
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• 1995

For polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (PHA) production, several microorganisms were isolated from sewage sludge. One of them, GB-77 strain, was chosen from its PHB/HV copolymer production on only fructose without cosubstrate. The isolated strain GB-77 was identified as the genus Alcaligenes. Optimal temperature and pH for cell growth were 36C and 6.8. Optimal medium composition was 10 g/l of fructose and 5 g/l of polypeptone, 1 $\times$ 10$^{-2}$M Na$^{2}$HP0$^{4}$, 1.3 $\times$ 10$^{-2}$M KH$^{2}$PO$^{4}$. To investigate the optimal condition for polyhydroxyalkanoic acid production two-stage culture technique was used; first stage for cell growth and second stage for PHA production on unbalanced growth conditions. Optimal conditions for high PHA production were C/N ratio 50, temperature 36$\circ$C and pH 6.8. To overcome fructose inhibition on cell growth, intermittent feeding fed-batch culture technique was used. Total cell concentration was 17.4 g/l with 9.1 g/l of PHA. The purified PHA was identified PHB/HV copolymer by NMR analysis.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.7
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• pp.83-97
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• 1989

This study was carried out to obtain basic information necessary for aggregation and in-vitro culture of mouse embryos by treating phytohemagglutinin-p (PHA-P). The 4-, 8-cell and morula embryos were obtained from female mice of albino BALE/C, CBA and C57BL strains, those were injected 5 i.u pregenant mare serum gonadotrophin and 5 i.u human chorionic gonadotrophin to superovulation. The zona pellucidia was removed by placing the embryos in Acidic Tyrode solution containing 1.0% protease or/and 5 ug/ml PHA-P. The pairs of zona free embryos were subjected to aggregation by glassneedle in BMOC-3 containing 5 ug/ml PHA-P. The aggregation embryos were cultured in Brinster's mouse ova culture-3(BMOC-3) medium under the gas phase of 5% $CO_2$ in air $37^{\circ}C$ for 13 to 50 hours. The results obtained in this study are summarised as follows : 1. When 4-, 8-cell and morula embryos were zona-freed in acidic Tyrode solution containing 1.0% protease or/and 5 ug/ml PHA-P, and cultured in vitro to blastocysts, the 4- and 8-cell embryos showed slightly less development rates than the morula one did, and solution of 5 ug/ml PHA-P brought some higher development rate than negative control. 2. As 2, 5 or 10 ug/ml PHA-P was added to the solution to aggregate 4-, 8-cell or morula embryos, 2 ug/ml solution represented slightly lower aggregation rate than the higher levels solutions, and 4- and 8-cell embryos showed higher rates than morula one did (P<.05). 3. In respect to the development rates of aggregated embryos to morula no significant difference was found among PHA-P levels and between 4-and 8-cell embryos. With respect to those of aggregated embryos to blastocysts the different levels of PHA-P showed similar results, however, the 4- and 8-cell embryos represented higher rates than the morula one did (P<.05). 4. The mean time necessary for development of aggregated 4-, 8-cell and morula embryos to blastocysts were 38.5-40, 26-27 and 19-20hrs. Respectively in solution for aggregation. 5. The aggregation rates of embryos were 34-94%, when treated protease or/and PHA-P. Supplementation of 5 ug/ml PHA-P to the solution for aggregation showed a trend demonstrating higher aggregation rate compared to negative control, although no significance was found. However, 4- and 8-cell embryos represented significantly higher aggregation rates than the morula one did (P<.05). 6. The development rates of 4- and 8-cell embryos to morula were 52.7-84.7 and 73.8-87.2%, respectively, showing no significant difference between two cell stages. However, the aggregation rates of embryos treated with solution containing PHA-P were higher than negative control (P<.05). 7. The development rates of 4- and 8-cell and morula embryos to blastocysts were 41.7-77.7 78.7-83.0 and 0-19.2%, respectively. The rates of 4-cell embryos treated with PHA-P were significant higher than the negative control (P<.05). The 8-cell and morula embryos also showed more rates when treated PHA-P.