• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.294-299
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• 2005

A cDNA encoding farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPS; EC2.5.1.1/EC2.5.1.10) was isolated from Centella asiacita (L.) Urban, using degenerate primers based on two highly conserved domains. A full-length cDNA clone was subsequently isolated by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR. The sequence of the CaFPS (C. asiatica farnesyl diphosphate synthase) cDNA contains an open reading frame of 1029 nucleotides encoding 343 amino acids with a molecular mass of 39.6 kDa. The deduced CaFPS amino acid sequence exhibits 84, 79, and 72%, identity to the FPSs of Artemisia annua, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Oryza sativa, respectively. Southern blot analysis suggested that the C. asiatica genome contains only one FPS gene. An artificially expressed soluble form of the CaFPS was identified by SDS-PAGE. It had high specific activity and produced farnesyl diphosphate as the major isoprenoid.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.20-24
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• 2004

Cloned myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (INOS) of Drosophila melanogaster was expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified using a His-affinity column. The purified INOS required NAD$\^$+/ for the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to inositol-1-phosphate. The optimum pH for myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase is 7.5, and the maximum activity was measured at 40$^{\circ}C$. The molecular weight of the native enzyme, as determined by gel filtration, was approximately M$\_$r/ 271,000${\pm}$15,000. A single subunit of approximately M$\_$r/ 62,000${\pm}$5,000 was detected upon SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The Michaelis ($K_{m}$) and dissociation constants for glucose-6-phosphate were 3.5 and 3.7 mM, whereas for the cofactor NAD$\^$+/ these were 0.42 and 0.4 mM, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.304-309
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• 1989

The effects of simazine [2-chloro-4, 6-bis(methylamino)-s-triazine] on in vivo nitrogenase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, and glutamate dehydrogenase which are important in nitrogen assimilation of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides were investigated. Simazine inhibited the synthesis of nitrogenase and glutamine synthetase. The activity of glutamine synthetase in crude extracts of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides is less inhibited by simazine than that of glutamate synthase and glutamate dehydrogenase. These results suggest the possibility that simazine inhibits photosynthetic activity and so inhibits the synthesis of nitrogenase and glutamine synthetase in Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.64-66
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• 2005

Photosynthetic microbes possess a wealth of photoactive proteins including chlorophyll-based pigments, phototropin-related blue light receptors, phytochromes, and cryptochromes. Surprisingly, recent genome sequencing projects discovered additional photoactive proteins, retinal-based rhodopsins, in cyanobacterial and algal genera. Most of these newly found rhodopsin genes and retinal synthase have not been expressed and their functions are unknown. Analysis of the Anabaena and Chlamyrhodopsin with retinal synthase revealed that they have sensory functions, which, based on our work with haloarchaeal rhodopsins, may use a variety of signaling mechanisms. Anabaena rhodopsin is believed to be sensory, shown to interact with a soluble transducer and the putative function is either chromatic adaptation or circadian rhythm. Chlamydomonas rhodopsins are involved in phototaxis and photophobic responses based on electrical measurements by RNAi experiment. In order to analyze the protein, we developed a sensory rhodopsin expression system in E. coli. The opsin in E. coil bound endogenous all-trans retinal to form a pigment and can be observed on the plate. Using this system we could identify retinal synthase in Anabaena PCC 7120. We conclude that Anabaena D475 dioxygenase functions as a retinal synthase to the Anabaena rhodopsin in the cell.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.13-17
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• 1997

The inhibitory effect of herbicides such as sulfonylurea derivatives, imidazolinones and pyrimidylsalicylate has been examined on the purified valine sensitive acetolactate synthase (ALS) from Serratia marcescens. The concentration of sulfometuron methyl which inhibits 50% of the ALS activity was 2.5 mM. The required concentrations of triasulfuron, primisulfuron methyl and imazaquin for the 50% inhibition of the ALS activity were 1 mM. The resistance of Serratia ALS to sulfometuron methyl, imazapyr and imazaquin is similar to that of E. coli ALS 1. However, pyrimidylsalicylate showed a potent inhibitory effect on the Serratia ALS almost 13 times more potent than on E. coli ALS II, which is known as herbicide-sensitive isozyme. The inhibitory mode was competitive against pyruvate. 150 value was determined to be $17{\mu}M$ in an assay mixture containing 20 mM pyruvate, and the $K_1$, value was calculated to be $0.4{\mu}m$ from the modified double reciprocal plot of 1/V versus $1/S^2$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1006-1010
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• 2010

Pseudomonas putida JM37 metabolized glyoxylate at a specific rate of 55 g/g dry biomass/day. In order to investigate their role, three genes encoding enzymes that are potentially involved in the conversion of glyoxylate were disrupted; namely, tartronate semialdehyde synthase (gcl), malate synthase (glcB), and isocitrate lyase (aceA). Strains with transposon insertion in either of these genes were isolated from a 50,000 clone library employing a PCR-guided enrichment strategy. In addition, all three double mutants were constructed via targeted insertion of a knock-out plasmid. Neither mutation of gcl, glcB, and aceA nor any of the respective double mutations influenced glyoxylic acid conversion, indicating that P. putida JM37 may possess other enzymes and pathways for glyoxylate metabolism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.547-552
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• 2004

Streptomyces thermovulgans malate synthase (stMS) is known to be more thermostable and thermoactive than S. coelicolor malate synthase (scMS). Therefore, based on the amino acid sequence of stMS, 3 scMS mutants, namely P186R, T8PL9P, and T8PL9PP186R, were created by site-directed mutagenesis in an attempt to engineer a more thermoactive and thermostable enzyme. An enzymatic analysis of the wild-type and mutant MS revealed that P186R and T8PL9PP186R were more thermoactive than the wild-type scMS and T8PL9P. Furthermore, all 3 mutants exhibited a greater thermo stability than scMS, thereby suggesting that both R186 and P8P9 can cause increased thermo stability in scMS.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.422-425
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• 1998

Chitin synthase null-mutants propagate in yeast form in RPMI medium with suppression of hyphal growth. This hyphal suppression is also observed in the wild type culture grown in RPMI medium supplemented with deer antler extract. To identify the possible target of deer antler extract, the enzymatic activities of chitin synthases were examined. The enzymatic activities of three chitin synthases, CAChsl, CAChs2, and CAChs3, were found to be differentially inhibited by deer antler extract. Of them, CAChsl, was the most sensitive to the extract. These results indicate that deer antler extract causes hyphal suppression, which resembles the effects of chitin synthase deletion, probably through direct inhibition of chitin synthases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.828-831
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• 2003

Although most of the DOS containing aminoglycosides are produced by Streptomyces, very little information is available about their biosynthesis. In the present paper, we report a method to isolate DOI synthase, a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of DOS, from aminoglycoside producer Streptomyces. PCR primers based on conserved region of DOI synthases were specific and reliable for the isolation of the biosynthetic genes of DOS containing aminoglycosides or the screening of the aminoglycoside producers. The use of DOI synthase as a probe could save both time and cost of cloning aminoglycoside biosynthetic genes.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.551-554
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• 2003

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has been reported in uterus. We examined the expression of the NOS isoforms, constitutive endothelial (eNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS), in bovine uterus by immunohistochemistry. eNOS immunoreactivity was localized predominantly to the endothelial cells that line uterine microvessels and to endometrial glandular epithelial cells, but was barely detectable in endometrial stromal cells. iNOS immunostaining was detected in glandular epithelial and stromal cells in the endometrium and in the endothelial cells of myometrial blood vessels. These findings suggest that both eNOS and iNOS may play important roles in the physiology of the uterus, possibly by generating NO.