• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.594-599
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• 2007

It is well known that the Escherichia coli inner membrane-bound protease DegS is a periplasmic stress sensor for unfolded outer membrane proteins (OMPs). Previous studies have also shown that the outer membrane protease OmpT activates plasminogen in vitro and this may be exploited by bacteria in the course of pathogenesis. However, there has been no research on the plasminogen activation ability of the important periplasmic protein DegS. Accordingly, in this study, the whole-length and truncated degS genes were separately overexpressed in Escherichia coli, the recombinant proteins purified by affinity chromatography, and their plasminogen activator role tested in vitro. The results suggested that the whole-length DegS was able to activate plasminogen on a plasma plate. The truncated form of DegS (residues 80-345), designated ${\Delta}DegS$, also acted as a plasminogen activator, as confirmed by different assays. The serine protease property of ${\Delta}DegS$ was verified based on the complete inhibition of its enzyme activity by PMSF (phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride). Therefore, the present results indicate that DegS is a plasminogen activator in vitro.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-47
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• 2008

The nickel and cobalt resistance of Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 is mediated by the CnrCBA efflux pump encoded by the cnrYHXCBAT metal resistance determinant. The products of the three genes cnrYXH transcriptionally regulate expression of cnr. CnrY and CnrX are membrane-bound proteins, probably functioning as anti-sigma factors, whereas CnrH is a cnr-specific extracytoplasmic functions (ECF) sigma factor. The periplasmic domain of CnrX (residues 29-148) was cloned as a N-terminal His-tagged protein, expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified using affinity chromatography and gel filtration. The molecular mass was estimated to be about 13.6kDa by size exclusion chromatography, corresponding to a monomer. The tetragonal bipyramid crystals were obtained by mixing an equal volume of protein in 50mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, 1% glycerol, 100mM NaCl, 1mM DTT, and the reservoir solution of 15% w/v PEG 2000, 100mM lithium chloride at 277K in 2-4 days using hanging drop vapor diffusion. The protein concentration was 24mg/ml. The crystal that diffracted to $2.42{\AA}$ resolution belongs to space group $P4_1\;or\;P4_3$ with unit cell parameters of $a=b=32.14{\AA},\;c=195.31{\AA},\;{\alpha}={\beta}={\gamma}=90^{\circ}$, with one molecule of CnrX in the asymmetric unit.