• 생명과학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.54-60
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• 2014

방향족 화합물은 독성 환경오염물질로 생태계와 인간의 건강에 해로운 영향을 미친다. 그중 chlorotoluene과 nitrotoluene 화합물은 수생생물에 독성을 나타내며 인간의 피부, 눈, 호흡기를 자극한다. 본 연구에서는 폐수의 chlorotoluene과 nitrotoluene 화합물을 저렴하고 간단하게 검출하고자 재조합 미생물 바이오센서를 개발하였다. BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) 분해 조절 유전자 xylR를 Po' (upstream activating sequences를 제거한 DmpR 조절단백질 promoter Po) 또는 Pu (XylR 고유의 프로모터)::lacZ 유전자(${\beta}$-galactosidase 유전자)의 upstream에 연결한 플라스미드를 제작한 후, E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$에 형질 전환하였다. 유도 화합물 존재 하에서, 아가로스에 고정된 이 재조합 바이오센서 세포는 유도 화합물에 의해 ${\beta}$-galactosidase를 발현하고 기질인 chlorophenol red ${\beta}$-D-galactopyranoside (CPRG)를 분해하여 1~2시간에 붉은색을 나타내었다. BTEX 화합물 중, 특이적으로 o-, m-, p-chlorotoluene ($0.1{\mu}M-100 mM$) 그리고 o-, m-, p-nitrotoluene (0.1 mM-100 mM)에서 높은 반응을 나타내었으며 Po'가 Pu보다 높은 반응성을 보여주었다. 아가로스에 고정된 바이오센서는 $4^{\circ}C$에서 21일간 보존 후에도 활성의 큰 변화 없이 안정하였으며, chlorotoluene과 nitrotoluene 화합물들로 spike된 전처리 하지 않은 폐수 시료 중에서도 좋은 반응을 보여 주어 폐수 중 chlorotoluene과 nitrotoluene 화합물의 간단한 초기 검출에 활용될 수 있음을 제시하였다.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.195-201
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• 2003

Aromatic hydrocarbons are of major concern among genotoxic chemicals due to their toxicity and persistence. Some microorganisms can utilize aromatic hydrocarbons as carbon and energy sources by inducing expression of catabolic operon(s). The XylR regulatory protein activates transcription of the catabolic enzymes to degrade BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) from its cognate promoters, Pu and Ps upon exposure of the cells to the aromatic hydrocarbons. The activity of XylR on the promoters was previously monitored using luciferase luc reporter system. The xylR, its promoter Pr and the promoter Po for the phenolic compound catabolic operon were introduced upstream of firefly luciferase luc in the pGL3b vector to generate about 7.1 kb of pXRBTEX. Here E. coli harboring the plasmid was freeze-dried under various conditions to fin,d optimal conditions for storage and transport. The cell viability and luciferase activity were maintained better, when the cells were freeze-dried at -7$0^{\circ}C$ in the addition of the 10% skim milk or 12% sucrose. However, coaddition of protectants such as 10% skim milk plus 10% glucose or 12% sucrose plus 10% glucose, resulted in much better viability and bioluminescence activity compared with the effect of single addition of each protectant. In addition, it was shown that the freeze-dried cells maintained almost intact bioluminescent activities and cell viability for at least 1 week after freeze-drying. This work demonstrated that the properly freeze-dried recombinant bacterial cells could be utilized as a whole-cell biosensor for simple and rapid monitoring of BTEX in the environment.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제23권7호
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• pp.863-868
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• 2013

Bacillus sp. HY-20균주 유래 endoxylanase를 코드하는 XylP 유전자를 효모에서 발현시키기 위해 두 개의 발현 플라스미드 pG-xylP와 pGMF-xylP를 구축하였다. 이들 플라스미드는 endoxylanase의 분비발현을 위해 각각 다른 분비서열인 XylP 유전자의 자체 분비서열(XylP s.s)과 최적화된 $MF{\alpha}$ 분비서열($MF{\alpha}_{opt}$ s.s)을 가지고 있으며, S. cerevisiae SEY2102와 FY833균주에 형질전환되어 그 분비활성이 비교 조사되었다. 재조합 endoxylanase는 분비발현시스템과 숙주세포에 따라 23.7~70.1 unit/ml의 활성으로 효모 세포에서 성공적으로 발현되었고, 그 중 SEY2102/pGMF-xylP 형질전환주를 이용해 baffled-flask 배양을 실시한 결과 최대 88.1 unit/ml의 endoxylanase 활성을 보임을 확인하였다. 대부분의 재조합 endoxylanase는 세포 외 분획에 효율적으로 분비 생산되었으며, $MF{\alpha}_{opt}$ 분비서열이 XylP 유전자의 자체 분비서열보다 endoxylanase를 더 효율적으로 분비시킴을 확인할 수 있었다. 그러므로 본 연구에서 개발된 발현시스템은 효모를 숙주세포로 하여 많은 양의 세포 외 endoxylanase의 생산을 가능하게 하고, 바이오에탄올 생산 및 산업적 응용에도 유용하게 사용 될 수 있으리라 기대된다.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제43권spc1호
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• pp.110-117
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• 2005

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium causes human gastroenteritis and a systemic typhoid-like infection in mice. A critical virulence determinant of Salmonella is the ability to invade mammalian cells. The expression of genes required for invasion is tightly regulated by environmental conditions and a variety of regulatory genes. The hilA regulator encodes an OmpR/ToxR family transcriptional regulator that activates the expression of invasion genes in response to both environmental and genetic regulatory factors. Work from several laboratories has highlighted that regulation of hilA expression is a key point for controlling expression of the invasive phenotype. A number of positive regulators of hilA expression have been identified including csrAB, sirA/barA, pstS, hilC/sirC/sprA, fis, and hilD. HilD, an AraC/XylS type transcriptional regulator, is of particular importance as a mutation in hilD results in a 14-fold decrease in chromosomal hilA::Tn5lacZY-080 expression and a 53-fold decrease in invasion of HEp-2 cells. It is believed that HilD directly regulates hilA expression as it has been shown to bind to hilA promoter sequences. In addition, our research group, and others, have identified genes (hilE, hha, pag, and lon) that negatively affect hilA transcription. HilE appears to be an important Salmonella-specific regulator that plays a critical role in inactivating hilA expression. Recent work in our lab has been directed at understanding how environmental signals that affect hilA expression may be processed through a hilE pathway to modulate expression of hilA and the invasive phenotype. The current understanding of this complex regulatory system is reviewed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.378-387
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• 1998

The DNA sequence immediately following the xynA gene of Bacillus stearothermophilus 236 ［about l-kb region downstream from the translational termination codon (TAA) of the xynA gene］was found to have an ability to enhance the xylanase activity of the upstream xynA gene. An 849-bp ORF was identified in the downstream region, and the ORF was confirmed to encode a novel protein of 283 amino acids designated as XaiF (xylanase-activity-increasing factor). From the nucleotide sequence of the xaiF gene, the molecular mass and pI of XaiF were deduced to be 32,006 Da and 4.46, respectively. XaiF was overproduced in the E. coli cells from the cloned xaiF gene by using the T7 expression system. The transcriptional initiation site was determined by primer extension analysis and the putative promoter and ribosome binding regions were also identified. Blast search showed that the xaiF and its protein product had no homology with any gene nor any protein reported so far. Also, in B. subtilis, the xaiF trans-activated the xylanase activity at the same rate as in E. coli. In contrast, xaiF had no activating effect on the co-expressed ${\beta}-xylosidase$ of the xylA gene derived from the same strain of B. stearothermophilus. In addition, the intracellular and extracellular fractions from the E. coli cells carrying the plasmid-borne xaiF gene did not increase the isolated xylanase activity, indicating that the protein-protein interaction between XynA and XaiF was not a causative event for the xylanase activating effect of the xaiF gene.