• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.192-197
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• 2022

Cell signals for growth factors depend on the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding the cells. Microtubule acetylation is involved in the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-induced myofibroblast differentiation in the soft ECM. However, the mechanism of activation of α-tubulin acetyltransferase 1 (α-TAT1), a major α-tubulin acetyltransferase, in the soft ECM is not well defined. Here, we found that casein kinase 2 (CK2) is required for the TGF-β-induced activation of α-TAT1 that promotes microtubule acetylation in the soft matrix. Genetic mutation and pharmacological inhibition of CK2 catalytic activity specifically reduced microtubule acetylation in the cells cultured on a soft matrix rather than those cultured on a stiff matrix. Immunoprecipitation analysis showed that CK2α, a catalytic subunit of CK2, directly bound to the C-terminal domain of α-TAT1, and this interaction was more prominent in the cells cultured on the soft matrix. Moreover, the substitution of alanine with serine, the 236th amino acid located at the C-terminus, which contains the CK2-binding site of α-TAT1, significantly abrogated the TGF-β-induced microtubule acetylation in the soft matrix, indicating that the successful binding of CK2 and the C-terminus of α-TAT1 led to the phosphorylation of serine at the 236th position of amino acids in α-TAT1 and regulation of its catalytic activity. Taken together, our findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the TGF-β-induced activation of α-TAT1 in a soft matrix.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.355-360
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• 2005

Sulfur, an important component of plants, is regulated by a variety of stresses in sulfate assimilation and metabolism. Increase has been observed in the expression of O-acetylserine(thiol)lyase (OASTL) through two-dimensional electrophoresis with the shoot tips of Arabidopsis infected by beet severe curly top geminivirus (BSCTV). With the three- to six-fold increases in the transcript expression of OASTL, serine acetyltransferase (SAT) and $\gamma$-glutmylcysteine synthetase (GSH) were induced over the mock-inoculated organization in each organization through real-time RT-PCR analysis. The expression of those genes might affect the accumulation of anthocyanin in symptomatic tissues and the induction of abnormal callus-like structures formed by additional cell divisions as typical disease symptoms of BSCTV-infected Arabidopsis. This is the first report to describe the collaborative induction of OASTL, SAT, and GSH in virus-infected plants. The changed expressions of OASTL, SAT, and GSH in Arabidopsis infected with BSCTV raises new aspects regarding the biological function of symptomatic tissues related to sulfate metabolism.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 2004

Dynamic modification of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins by O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) on Ser and Thr residues is ubiquitous in higher eukaryotes. And this modification may serve as a signaling mod-ification analogous to protein phosphorylation. Addition and cleavage of O-GlcNAc are catalyzed by O-linked GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-linked N-acety1glucosaminidase (O-GlcNAcase), respectively. Two types of human O-GlcNAcase gene were cloned and expressed as three fusion proteins in Escherichia coli. O-GlcNA-case activity showed in the order of thioredoxin fusion> $6{\times}His$ tag> GST fusion. O-GlcNAcase had enzy-matic activity against only ${\rho}$NP-GlcNAc of seven tested substrate analogs. Blast search revealed that O-GlcNAcase has two conserved domains, amino terminal hyaluronidase-like domain and carboxy terminal N-acetyltransferase domain. Extensive deletion studies were done to define catalytically important domains. The deletions of hyaluronidase-like domain and N-acetyltransferase domain abolished enzyme activity. But, N-ter-minal 55 amino acid deletion and C-terminal truncation showed lower activity. Based on deletion analysis, we suggest that hyaluronidase-like domain is essential for enzyme activity and carboxy terminal N-acetyltrans-ferase domain may be modulatory function.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.146-152
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• 2003

Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDP) is a mitochondrial protein serine/threonine phosphatase that catalyzes the dephosphorylation and concomitant reactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). PDP consists of a catalytic subunit (PDPc, Mr 52,600) and regulatory subunit (PDPr, Mr 95,600). In the presence of $Ca^{2+}$, PDPc binds to the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2) component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in proximity to its substrate, the phosphorylated E1 component, thereby increasing the rate of dephosphorylation. PDPc possesses and intrinsic $Ca^{2+}$ binding site and a second $Ca^{2+}$ site is generated in the presence of E2. Using the unique interaction, highly pure PDPc was produced by the GSH-Sepharose-GST-L2 matrix with a specific activity of approx. 1000 U/mg and a yield of about 80%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2002.07a
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• pp.236-236
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• 2002

Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDP) is a mitochondrial protein serine/threonine phosphatase that catalyzes the dephosphorylation and concomitant reactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase componant of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). PDP consists of a Mg$\^$+2/ -dependent and Ca$\^$+2)-stimulated catalytic subunit (PDPc) of Mr 52,600 and a FAD-containing regulatory subunit (PDPr) of Mr 95.600. Catalytic subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDPc) has been suggested to have three major functional domains such as dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase(E$_2$)-binding domain, regulatory subunit of PDP(PDPr)-binding domain, and calcium-binding domain. In order to identify functional domains, recombinant catalytic subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (rPDPc) was expressed in E. coli JM101 and purified to near homogeneity using the unique property of PDPc: PDPm binds to the inner lipoyl domain (L$_2$) of E$_2$ of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) in the presence of Ca$\^$+2/, not under EGTA. PDPc was limited-proteolysed by trypsin, chymotrypsin, Arg-C, and elastase at pH7.0 and 30$^{\circ}C$ and N-terminal analysis of the fragment was done. Chymotrypsin, trypsin, and elastase made two major framents: N-terminal large fragment, approx. 50kD and C-terminal small fragment, approx. 0 kDa. Arg-C made three major fragments: N-terminal fragment, approx. 35 kD, and central fragment, approx. 15 kD, and C-terminal fragment, approx. 10 kD. This study strongly suggest that PDPc consists of three major functional domains. However, further study should be necessary to identify the functional role.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.2009-2018
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• 2018

Leuconostoc mesenteroides can be used to produce mannitol by fermentation, but the mannitol productivity is not high. Therefore, in this study we modified the chromosome of Leuconostoc mesenteroides by genetic methods to obtain high-yield strains for mannitol production. In this study, gene knock-out strains and gene knock-in strains were constructed by a two-step homologous recombination method. The mannitol productivity of the pat gene (which encodes phosphate acetyltransferase) deletion strain (${\Delta}pat::amy$), the fk gene (which encodes fructokinase) deletion strain (${\Delta}fk::amy$) and the stpk gene (which encodes serine-threonine protein kinase) deletion strain (${\Delta}stpk::amy$) were all increased compared to the wild type, and the productivity of mannitol for each strain was 84.8%, 83.5% and 84.1%, respectively. The mannitol productivity of the mdh gene (which encodes mannitol dehydrogenase) knock-in strains (${\Delta}pat::mdh$, ${\Delta}fk::mdh$ and ${\Delta}stpk::mdh$) was increased to a higher level than that of the single-gene deletion strains, and the productivity of mannitol for each was 96.5%, 88% and 93.2%, respectively. The multi-mutant strain ${\Delta}dts{\Delta}ldh{\Delta}pat::mdh{\Delta}stpk::mdh{\Delta}fk::mdh$ had mannitol productivity of 97.3%. This work shows that multi-gene knock-out and gene knock-in strains have the greatest impact on mannitol production, with mannitol productivity of 97.3% and an increase of 24.7% over wild type. This study used the methods of gene knock-out and gene knock-in to genetically modify the chromosome of Leuconostoc mesenteroides. It is of great significance that we increased the ability of Leuconostoc mesenteroides to produce mannitol and revealed its broad development prospects.