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Alginate and its derivatives are annually produced approximately 30,000 tons or more and are applied to various industries as they are natural polymers. The global market for alginate and its derivatives has been growing steadily. There is little research compared to other enzymes produced through biomass degradation or modification. An alginate lyase, MtAl138, from Microbulbifer thermotolerans DAU221 was cloned and identified in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). MtAl138 contains a highly conserved motif (R538TELR, Q607IH609, and YFKAGVY716NQ), which indicates that it belongs to the polysaccharide lyase family 7 (PL7). MtAl138, with a molecular weight of 77 kDa worked optimally at 45 °C and pH 7.4. MtAl138 showed twice as much activity as when there was no NaCl when there was between 100 and 600 mM NaCl. Moreover, its activity increased in organic solvents such as benzene, hexane, methanol, and toluene. Based on the thin layer chromatography analyses, MtAl38 is an endo-type enzyme that produces di-, tri-, or tetrasaccharides from polyG and polyM. This study provided that MtAl138 is an endoenzyme that showed outstanding enzymatic activity at concentrated salt solutions and organic solvents, which makes it a reasonably attractive enzyme for use in various industries.

A sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to screen fibrinolytic enzymes from soil metagenomes. A basic alignment search tool (BLAST) sequence homology analysis of 15 positive amplicons indicated a high degree of nucleotide sequence identity (>98%) to a fibrinolytic enzyme, nattokinase in Bacillus sp. Among the positive clones, KSL79_FE was selected for further characterization. Sequence analysis showed that its open reading frame (ORF) consisted of 1,146 nucleotides encoding 375 amino acids, of which two differed from the nattokinase (T268S and V298A). To overexpress the fibrinolytic enzyme, we transformed the plasmid pET28a/KSL79_FE into E. coli BL21 Codon (+) cells, leading to yield optimal expression by using a 9-h induction with 30 uM isopropyl thio-β-D-galactoside (IPTG) at an OD600 of 0.5. The resulting KSL79_FE enzyme exhibited caseinolytic and fibrinolytic activities similar to those of nattokinase. In contrast to the nattokinase which showed the optimal conditions for proteolytic activity at 37°C and pH 8.0, KSL79_FE enzyme displayed maximal proteolytic activity at 50°C and pH 9.0. In addition, the enzyme activity of KSL79_FE was inhibited by Zn+2 ions, but not by Cu+2 ions, not similar to nattokinase. The two residues varied from amino acid sequence of nattokinase which might change the biochemical properties and optimal enzyme activity of KSL79_FE. Key words: Nattokinase, proteolytic activity, metagenome, fibrinolytic activity, cloning and expression.

Paenibacillus xylanilyticus KJ-03 isolated from konjac field, showed β-glucosidase activity on tryptic soy agar plate supplemented with 0.1 % esculin and 0.25 % ferric ammonium citrate. A genome library was constructed to obtain the β-glucosidase gene and a recombinant clone, pGlc2-3 was selected. The 2,247 bp gene encoding KJ-03 β-glucosidase consisted of 749 amino acids. The deduced amino acids of BglA were 61 % homologous with that of the β-glucosidase from Bacillus cereus AH1272, which belongs to the glycoside hydrolase family 3. His-tagged β-glucosidase was purified by using His-Trap column and characterized. KJ-03 β-glucosidase was showed as a single band with about 82 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The purified enzyme has optimal activity at 20 °C and pH 7.0 using p-NPβG and 72 % of the maximal activity was still remaining at 10 °C. The β-glucosidase has optimal activity at low temperatures indicating that it is a cold-active enzyme. The substrate specificity showed that the purified enzyme hydrolyzed aryl β-glucoside substrates and isoflavones such as daidzin and genistin.

Paenibacillus xylanilyticus KJ-03 was isolated from soil samples obtained from a field with Amorphophallus konjac plants. A gene encoding xylanase was isolated from KJ-03 and cloned using a fosmid library. The xynA gene encodes xylanase; it consists of 1,035 bp and encodes 345 amino acids. The amino acid sequence deduced from the P. xylanilyticus KJ-03 xylanase showed 81% and 69% identities with those deduced from the P. polymyxa E681 and Paenibacillus sp. HPL-001 xylanases, respectively. The xynA gene comprises a single domain, consisting of a catalytic domain of the glycosyl hydrolase (GH) 10 family. The xynA gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (trxB), and the recombinant xylanase was purified by Niaffinity chromatography. The purified xylanase showed optimum activity with birchwood xylan as a substrate at 40°C and pH 7.4. Treatment with Mg(2+) and Li(+) showed a slight decrease in XynA activity; however, treatment with 5 mM Cu(2+) completely inhibited its activity. The results of the thin layer chromatography analysis indicated that the major hydrolysis product was xylobiose and small amounts of xylose and xylotriose. XynA showed increased activity with oat spelt xylan and birchwood xylan, but showed only slight activity with locust bean gum.

Cellulophaga lytica DAU203 (KACC 19187), isolated from the marine sediment in Korea, has a strong ability to degrade agar. The genome of C. lytica DAU203 contains a single chromosome that is 3,952,957bp in length, with 32.02% G+C contents. The genomic information predicted that the DAU203 has the potential to be utilized in various enzymatic industries.

The objective of this study was to develop a mineral phosphate-solubilizing bacterium as a biofertilizer. A mineral phosphate-solubilizing bacterium HR-1019 was isolated from cultivated soils. It was identified as Bacillus subtilis by 16S rDNA analysis. The phosphate-solubilizing activities of the HR-1019 strain against three types of insoluble phosphate, hydroxyapatite, tri-calcium phosphate, and aluminum phosphate were quantitatively determined. When 5% of glucose concentration was used as a carbon source, the strain showed marked mineral phosphate-solubilizing activity. Mineral phosphate solubilization was directly related to pH drop in the culture solution of the strain. The pathogenic activity and antifungal effects of the HR-1019 strain were measured inclear zones formed in PDA media.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the production and characterization of alkaline protease from Micrococcus sp. PS-1 newly isolated from seawater. Micrococcus sp. PS-1 was grown in Luria- Bertani (LB) medium. Its optimal temperature and pH for growth were 30°C and 7.0, respectively. The effect of nitrogen sources was investigated on optimal enzyme production. A high level of alkaline protease production occurred in LB broth containing 2% skimmed milk. The protease was purified in a 3-step procedure involving ultrafiltration, acetone precipitation, and dialysis. The procedure yielded a 16.43-purification fold, with a yield of 54.25%. SDS-PAGE showed that the enzyme had molecular weights of 35.0 and 37.5 kDa. Its maximum protease activity was exhibited at pH 9.0 and 37°C, and its activity was stable at pH 8.0?11.0 and 25?37°C. The protease activity was strongly inhibited by PMSF, EDTA, and EGTA. Taken together, the results demonstrate that the protease enzyme from Micrococcus sp. PS-1 probably belongs to a subclass of alkaline metallo-serine proteases.

The gene encoding the cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase, EC2.4.1.19) of Paenibacillus illinoisensis was isolated, cloned, sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis showed that the mature enzyme (684 amino acids) was preceded by a signal peptide of 34-residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the CGTase from P. illinoisensis ZY-08 exhibited highest identity (99 %) to the CGTase sequence from Bacillus licheniformis (P14014). The four consensus regions of carbohydrate converting domain and Ca2+ binding domain could be identified in the sequence. The CGTase was purified by using cold expression vector, pCold I, and His-tag affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was about 74 kDa. The optimum temperature and pH of the enzyme were 40 °C and pH 7.4, respectively. The enzyme activity was increased by the addition of Ca2+ and inhibited by Ba2+, Cu2+, and Hg2+. The K m and V max values calculated were 0.48 mg/ml and 51.38 mg of β-cyclodextrin/ml/min. The ZY-08 and recombinant readily converted soluble starch to β-cyclodextrin but ZY-08 did not convert king oyster mushroom powder and enoki mushroom powder. However the recombinant CGTase converted king oyster mushroom powder and enoki mushroom powder to β-cyclodextrin.

A new gene organization related to carbohydrate metabolism of Citrobacter species has been identified on about 4.1 kb chromosomal DNA fragment. Sequence analysis revealed four open reading frames (ORFs), and gene orders were determined to be PTS system mannitol-specific transporter subunit EIICBA (MtlA), L-sorbose-1-phosphate reductase (SorE), class II fructose-1,6-biphosphatase (GlpX), and mannitol repressor (MtlR). The deduced amino acid sequences of these ORFs showed more than 80% identities to MtlA,SorE, GlpX, and MtlR of Escherichia coli, Shigella, and Salmonella enterica, respectively. The sorE gene was heterologously expressed in E. coli. The recombinant SorE clearly showed the L-sorbose-1-phosphate reductase activity. Key words: Citrobactor sp., gene organization, carbohydrate catabolism, L-sorbose 1-phosphate reductase, gene expression.

A thermophilic Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius, which produces thermostable α-amylase, was isolated from the hot water effluent of a boiled rice mill near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. The effect of different culture conditions on the growth and production of extracellular α-amylase by thermophilic A. acidocaldarius was investigated in laboratory scale. The results showed that the optimum conditions for the production of α-amylase are a temperature of 60°C, pH of 6.0, and medium starch concentration of 1.0%, and yeast extract and tryptone of 0.2%. Surfactants, like Tween-20 and SDS, up to 0.02%, were found to increase the bacterial growth and enzymes. Further increase in their concentration resulted in significantly decreased enzyme production.

The bacterial strain Paenibacillus xylanilyticus KJ-03 was isolated from a sample of soil used for cultivating Amorphophallus konjac. The cellulase gene, cel5A was cloned using fosmid library and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (trxB). The cel5A gene consists of a 1,743 bp open reading frame and encodes 581 amino acids of a protein. Cel5A contains N-terminal signal peptide, a catalytic domain of glycosyl hydrolase family 5, and DUF291 domain with unknown function. The recombinant cellulase was purified by Ni-affinity chromatography. The cellulase activity of Cel5A was detected in clear band with a molecular weight of 64 kDa by zymogram active staining. The maximum activity of the purified enzyme was displayed at a temperature of 40 °C and pH 6.0 when carboxymethyl cellulose was used as a substrate. It has 44% of its maximum activity at 70 °C and retained 66% of its original activity at 45 °C for 1 h. The purified cellulase hydrolyzed avicel, CMC, filter paper, xylan, and 4-methylumbelliferyl β-D-cellobiose, but no activity was detected against p-nitrophenyl β-D-glucoside. The end products of the hydrolysis of cellotetraose and cellopentaose by Cel5A were detected by thin layer chromatography, while enzyme did not hydrolyze cellobiose and cellotriose.

The bacteria with hydrolysis activity to glucomannan were isolated from the rhizosphere of Amorphophallus konjac through enrichment cultivation. One strain with strong activity in degrading glucomannan was identified preliminarily as Paenibacillus azotofixans YUPP-5 according to the sequence analysis of 16S rDNA. This strain is able to hydrolyze many polysaccharide with β-1,4 linkage, including glucomannan, galactomannan, xylan, carboxymethyl cellulose, and chitin. One hydrolytic enzyme band of approximately 70 kDa was examined from the supernatants of YUPP-5 by using zymogram with mixture polysaccharides as substrate. The encoding gene had an open reading frame of 2157 bp, which deduced cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase), including 718 amino acids with a signal peptide in the N-terminal region. When the gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21, the recombinant CGTase exhibited strong activity in degrading polysaccharides with β-1,4 linkage, and in forming cyclodextrin by using carboxymethyl cellulose as substrate. This CGTase exhibited some new functions. Finally, the hydrolytic oligosaccharides from galactomannan or glucomannan were detected by thin layer chromatography. Pentasaccharide, tetrasaccharide, trisaccharide, and disaccharide could be examined as reaction time went on.

A gram-negative bacterium, designated strain DAU5, was isolated from shrimp shell samples because it demonstrated high β-glucosidase activity. Through 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis the strain was identified as belonging to the genus Exiguobacterium. The β-glucosidase gene of Exiguobacterium sp. DAU5 was successfully cloned by the shotgun method. Nucleotide sequence determination by sodium dodecyl sulfate-ployacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the gene for the enzyme contained 1,350 bp, was coded by 450 amino acids, and was 52 kDa. The polypeptide exhibits significant homology with other bacterial β-glucosidases and belongs to the Glycoside Hydrolase Family 1. The β-glucosidase was purified by a His-fusion purification system. The optimal pH and temperature of the enzyme were 7.0 and 45°C, respectively. The enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by Ca2+, and Li+, K+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Na2+, Ni2+, and EDTA partially inhibited the enzyme activity. The BglA showed the highest activity with p-NPG and MUG. However, strain DAU5 β-glucosidase, which is for degradation of oligosaccharides, is expected to be useful for the fermentation of cellulose degradation and the transglycosylation of saccharides.

A -xylosidase encoding gene from Klebsiella sp. Sc was cloned in Escherichia coli. The -xylosidase gene consisted of an open reading frame of 1,680 nucleotides and encodes 559 amino acids with a deduced molecular weight of 63 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of the -xylosidase from Klebsiella sp. Sc exhibits 90% identities and 95% positives compared to those from Klebsiella oxytoca (KOX), Lactobacillus lactis (LAC, 82%, 90%), Bacillus longum (BLON, 69%, 81%) and Escherichia coli (ECOLI, 47%, 63%). The -xylosidase was purified by GST-fusion purification system. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 6.6 and , respectively. The -xylosidase hydrolyzes xylobiose to xylose.

Lipolytic enzyme-producing bacteria were isolated from edible oil mill effluents on tributyrin agar medium. The shake-flask-scale studies yielded a promising isolate and it was identified as Pseudomonas sp. An OME using various microbiological observations such as cultural, microscopic, and biochemical tests was undertaken and confirmed using PIBWIN bacterial identification software. Lipolytic enzyme production was screened with oils such as sunflower, caster, coconut, tributyrin, and olive. Amongst these, olive oil showed an increased lipase production 6.1 U/㎖. In view of the highest lipolytic enzyme production with olive oil, further optimizations were carried out using olive oil as a carbon source. Lipolytic enzyme production was optimized by a conventional ‘one variable at a time’ approach and the significant factors were further analyzed statistically using response surface methodology (RSM). The effect of physical factors such as incubation time, temperature, initial medium pH, and nutritional factors such as concentration of olive oil and yeast extract were examined for lipase production. Lipolytic enzyme secretion was strongly affected by three variables (incubation time, concentration of yeast extract and olive oil). Therefore, the interaction of these three factors was further optimized using response surface methodology. The optimized conditions of lipase production using response surface methodology yielded a maximum of 9.62 U/㎖ with optimum conditions for incubation, yeast extract and olive oil concentrations were found to be 48 hr, 0.3 g. and 0.9 ㎖. respectively.

In this study, a potent newly-isolated glucoamylase producing actively growing cells of Bacillus sp. FME was subjected to UV irradiation and ethidium bromide (EtBr) mutagenesis. The promising colonies were further screened for glucoamylase production via plate assays and submerged enzyme production at the flask level. Amongst all of the tested colonies, the best mutant, Bacillus sp. FME 2, selected from UV irradiation (20 min) and EtBr (1 mg/mL), was shown to be the most promising. The yield of glucoamylase generated by the mutant strain was approximately 3.0 fold and 1397 U/mL with an incubation period of 24 h, which was larger than the yield generated by the wild-type strain. The glucoamylase was partially purified using ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by gel exclusion chromatography. The enzyme was partially purified 3.0-fold to homogeneity with a final recovery of 66% and a specific activity of 1145 U/mg protein for the mutant strain. The molecular mass was approximately 67.1 kDa, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The active band was observed as a clear colorless area on zymogram analysis, which indicated an absence of glucoamylase isoforms. The results of thin-layer chromatography identified this enzyme as a glucoamylase.

Acinetobacter baumannii BD5 was isolated from waters of Baek-du mountain, and the lipase gene was cloned using a PCR technique. The deduced amino acid sequence of the lipase and lipase chaperone were found to encode proteins of 325 aa and 344 aa with a molecular mass of 35 kDa and 37 kDa, respectively. The lipase gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (trxB) as an inclusion body, which was subsequently solubilized by urea, and then purified using Ni-affinity chromatography. After being purified, the lipase was refolded by incubation at 4oC in the presence of a 1:10 molar ratio of lipase:chaperone. The maximal activity of the refolded lipase was observed at a temperature of 35 degrees and pH 8.3 when p-NP caprate (C10) was used as a substrate; however, 28% of the activity observed at 35 degrees was still remaining at 0 degrees . The stability of the purified enzyme at low temperatures indicates that it is a cold-adapted enzyme. The refolded lipase was activated by Ca2+, Mg2+, and Mn2+, whereas Zn2+ and Cu2+ inhibited it. Additionally, 0.1% Tween 20 increased the lipase activity by 33%, but SDS and Triton X-100 inhibited the lipase activity by 40% and 70%, respectively.

A bacterium, ZY-08 that produced extracellular mannanase, was isolated and identified as Paenibacillus illinoisensis (P. illinoisensis) on the basis of 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis. The enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity by ultrafiltration, DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, and Sephadex G-50 chromatography procedures. The β-mannanase was purified 3.5 fold to homogeneity with a final recovery of 22% and specificity of 9.3 U/mg protein as judged by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular mass was about 60 kDa. It was active at 60°C and pH 6.0 and it’s retained about 40% of activity at 70°, with a broad pH range of 3.0-6.0. The mannanase was highly specific towards glucomannan and galactomannan, but exhibited very low activity towards starch, carboxy-methyl cellulose, and birchwood xylan. Result of thin-layer chromatography analysis showed that the enzyme produced various kinds of oligosacchrides. These unique properties of the thermostable mannanase and broad substrate specificity (low activity towards cellulosic substrates) from P. illinoisensis ZY-08 make this enzyme attractive for biotechnological applications.

Microbial production of cellulolytic enzymes by Aspergillus niger in solid state fermentation (SSF) and submerged state fermentation (SF) in laboratory scale was compared. Czapek Dox liquid broth amended with cellulose (0.5%) was used for cultivation in SF, whereas rice bran was used as a solid support, moistened with cellulose, amended Czapek Dox broth for growth in SSF. The production of Carboxymethyl cellulase, Filter paperase and β-Glucosidase was monitored at regular intervals. The peak production of the enzymes occurred within 3 days of incubation in SSF as against ≥ 7 days in SF. SSF gave higher yields of enzymes in comparison to SF. Maximum titres of 0.40, 0.62 and 0.013 U/ml in respect of FPase, CMCase and β-glucosidase in SSF were recovered as against 0.13, 0.06 and 0.0013 U/ml in SF respectively, at their respective peak time intervals. Hence, SSF appeared to be a better choice for production of cellulolytic enzymes by Aspergillus niger.

To get the nutritional data of hot water extract from imported kangaroo tails, research was done about contents of collagen, chondroitin sulfate, protein, fat, mineral ions, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in tails. Collagen content of sulfuric acid digested sample was way higher at bones than meats in both kangaroo tail and cow tail. Comparing kangaroo tail and cow tail, meat of kangaroo tail have 1.7 times higher collagen content than that of cow tail. Content of collagen in bone parts of kangaroo tail was also higher 1.2 times than that of cow tail. Meat sample of kangaroo tail (liquid extraction) have 1.3 times higher content of muco-polysaccharide than that of cow tail. In the born part, kangaroo tail was 2.4 times higher than cow tail in its content of muco-polysaccharide. The CLA content of the kangaroo tail showed the content that was higher than 0.9% of the cow tail for 4.9% and showed about 5.3 times high ratios. Especially in kangaroo tail, a band with high content of CLA was found between C18:1 and C18:2.

Aeromonas hydrophila DA33 was isolated from cultivated soils as a bacteria having high abilities to solubilize inorganic phosphate. Glucose dehydrogenase gene (gdh) was cloned from Escherichia coli. The recombinant plasmid, pGHS containing glucose dehydrogenase gene was introduced into A. hydrophila DA33 in order to improve the activity of phosphate-solubilizing. The transformant harboring the gdh gene, A. hydrophila pGHS/DA33 increased enzyme activity. The strain also increased the gluconic acid generation that was effective for phosphate solubilization. It was possible that the strain containing pGHS produced higher solubilized phosphate with tri-calcium phosphate as the unique (P) source, in comparison with that of wild type without plasmid. These results suggest that the strain, A. hydrophila pGHS/DA33 is expected as effective biofertilizer for phosphate solubilization.

A microbe isolated from a soil sample obtained on Deog-yu Mountain in Korea, was found to produce an extracellular lipase. This microbe, which was designated as DYL129, was identified as an Acinetobacter sp. based on phylogenetic analysis of its 16S rDNA. A genomic library was constructed by using DYL129 fragment digested with HindIII and a recombinant plasmid, pLip-1, was selected for further analysis by colony polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sequencing of a 3.8-kb insert in the pLip-1 clone revealed the presence of one incomplete and three complete open reading frames (ORFs). The ORFs were predicted to encode a partial lipase, two putative lipases and a 50S ribosomal protein. Genome-walking PCR also identified transcripts encoding a complete lipase chaperone and three lipaseA proteins. The lipase structural gene present in Acinetobacter sp. DYL129 was similar to the lipase structural gene found in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413 (lipBA). However, the three lipase genes were located downstream of the chaperone gene in Acinetobacter sp. DYL129 (lipBA (1) A (2) A (3)), which differs from the location of these genes in A. calcoaceticus BD413. Although the amino acid sequences of these lipases (LipA(1), LipA(2), and LipA(3)) differed, both strains had a common "GHSHG" consensus motif, which is the conserved active-site pentapeptide of lipaseA. Moreover, all three lipases were found to share a conserved domain, the so-called alpha/beta hydrolase fold.

In this study, the extracellular enzyme activity ofBacillus sp. A8-8 was detected on LB agar plates containing 0.5% of the following substrates: carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), xylan, cellulose, and casein, respectively. The β-1,3-1,4 glucanase produced fromBacillus sp. A8-8 was purified by ammonium sulfate and hydrophobic chromatography. The molecular size of the protein was estimated by SDS-PAGE as approximately 33 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature for the enzyme activity were 6.0 and 60°C, respectiveley. However, enzyme activity was shown over a broad range of pH values and temperatures. The purified β-1,3-1,4 glucanase retained over 70% of its original activity after incubation at 80°C for 2 h, and showed over 40% of its original activity within the pH range of 9 to 12. This suggests that β-1,3-1,4 glucanase fromBacillus sp. A8-8 is thermostable and alkalistable. In addition, β-1,3-1,4 glucanase had higher substrate specificity to lichenan than to CMC. Finally the activity of the endoglucanase was inhibited by Fe3+, Mg2+, and Mn2+ ions. However Co2+ and Ca2+ ions were increased its activity.

A chitosanase-producing Bacillus sp. DAU101 was isolated from Korean traditional food. This strain was identified on the basis of phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence, gyrA gene, and phenotypic analysis. The gene encoding chitosanase (csn) was cloned and sequenced. The csn gene consisted of an open reading frame of 837 nucleotides and encodes 279 amino acids with a deduced molecular weight of 31,420 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of the chitosanase from Bacillus sp. DAU101 exhibits 88 and 30 % similarity to those from Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas sp., respectively. The chitosanase was purified by glutathione S-transferase fusion purification system. The molecular weight of purified enzyme was about 27 kDa, which suggests the deletion of a signal peptide by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 7.5 and 50 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme activity was increased by about 1.6-fold by the addition of 5 or 10 mM Ca(2+). However, Hg(2+) and Ni(+) ions strongly inhibited the enzyme. The enzyme produced, GlcN(2-4), were the major products from a soluble chitosan.

To understand the mechanism of phosphate accumulation, a gene encoding polyphosphate kinase (PPK) was cloned from the genomic library of Serratia marcescens by Southern hybridization. From the nucleotide sequence of a 4 kb DNA fragment, an open reading frame of 2063 nucleotides was identified encoding a protein of 686 amino acids with molecular mass of 70 kDa. The potential CRP binding site and pho box sequence were found upstream of the putative promoter in the regulatory region. The expression of PPK resulted in the formation of inclusion bodies and the product was active at low temperature. The E. coli strain harboring plasmid pSPK5 with ppk gene increased enzyme activity of polyphosphate kinase, resulting in increased accumulation of polyphosphate in E. coli.

A gene (pagA) encoding beta-agarase from Pseudomonas sp. SK38 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The structural gene consists of 1011 bp encoding 337 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 37326 and has a signal peptide of 18 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 57% and 58% homology to beta-agarase from Pseudoalteromonas atalntica and Aeromonas sp., respectively. The recombinant enzyme was purified and biochemically characterized. The enzyme had maximum activity at pH 9 and 30 degrees C. It was stable at pHs from 8 to 9 and below 37 degrees C.

Aqualysin I, which is a subtilisin-type, extracellular protease secreted by Thermus aquaticus YT-1, is synthesized as a unique precursor bearing pro-domains at both N- and C-terminus of the mature protease domain as well as an N-terminal signal peptide. To investigate the function of the C-terminal pro-domain in maturation and export pathway of the precursor in E. coli cells, aqualysin I variants were constructed in which deletion mutants of the C-terminal pro-domain lacking its own signal peptide were inserted into pIN-III-ompA3. When E. coli harboring wild type and mutant plasmids were induced by 0.2 mM IPTG, active aqualysin I was produced by heat treatment at 65 °C. Aqualysin I precursors with deletions of more than 5 amino acid residues at the C-terminal end of pro-domain were much more rapidly processed than that of wild type, indicating that the C-terminal pro-domain functions as a inhibitor for processing of aqualysin I precursor. With the wild type, most of aqualysin I was present in membrane fraction (probably the outer membrane), whereas for the truncated mutants, it remained in the cytoplasm, indicating that for deletion mutants, their precursors expressed in cells were not translocated across the cytoplasmic membrane, despite the existence of an N-terminal signal peptide.

A maltotriose-producing α-amylase, AmyA, from a newly isolated bacterial strain Microbulbifer thermotolerans DAU221 was purified and characterized in the heterologous host, Escherichia coli, using the pCold I vector. The amyA gene encoded a 761-residue protein composed of a 33 amino acid secretion signal peptide. The purified α-amylase with a molecular mass of 80 kDa, approximately, shared a sequence motif characteristic of the glycoside hydrolase family 13. The enzyme was optimally active, at 50 °C in sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.0), by the traditional one factor-at-a-time method. But the optimal conditions of time, temperature, and pH for production of maltotriose from soluble starch were 1.76 h, 44.95 °C, and pH 6.35 by response surface methodology, respectively. Maltotriose, as the major enzyme reaction product, was analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The enzyme was found to be inhibited by the addition of 10 mM Cu2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, Zn2+, and EDTA, but exhibited extreme stability toward hexane. The K m and V max values for the hydrolysis of soluble starch were 1.08 mg/mL and 1.736 mmol maltotriose/mg protein/min, respectively.

A cold-adapted carbohydrate esterase, CEST, belonging to the carbohydrate esterase family 6, was cloned from Microbulbifer thermotolerans DAU221. CEST was composed of 307 amino acids with the first 22 serving as a secretion signal peptide. The calculated molecular mass and isoelectric point of the mature enzyme were 31,244 Da and pH 5.89, respectively. The catalytic triad consisted of residues Ser37, Glu192, and His281 in the conserved regions: GQSNMXG, QGEX(D/N), and DXXH. The three-dimensional structure of CEST revealed that CEST belongs to the α/β-class of protein consisted of a central six-stranded β-sheet flanked by eight α-helices. The recombinant CEST was purified by His-tag affinity chromatography and the characterization showed its optimal temperature and pH were 15°C and 8.0, respectively. Specifically, CEST maintained up to 70% of its enzyme activity when preincubated at 50°C or 60°C for 6 h, and 89% of its enzyme activity when preincubated at 70°C for 1h . The results suggest CEST belongs to group 3 of the cold-adapted enzymes. The enzyme activity was increased by Na(+) and Mg(2+) ions but was strongly inhibited by Cu(+) and Hg(2+) ions, at all ion concentrations. Using p-nitrophenyl acetate as a substrate, the enzyme had a Km of 0.278 mM and a kcat of 1.9 s(-1). Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that the catalytic triad (Ser37, Glu192, and His281) and Asp278 were essential for the enzyme activity.

A β-glucosidase gene bglX was cloned from Lactococcus sp. FSJ4 by the method of shotgun. The bglX open reading frame consisted of 1,437 bp, encoding 478 amino acids. SDS-PAGE showed a recombinant bglX monomer of 54 kDa. Substrate specificity study revealed that the enzyme exhibited multifunctional catalysis activity against pNPG, pNPX and pNPGal. This enzyme shows higher activity against aryl glycosides of xylose than those of glucose or galactose. The enzyme exhibited the maximal activity at 40 °C, and the optimal pH was 6.0 with pNPG and 6.5 with pNPX as the substrates. Molecular modeling and substrate docking showed that there should be one active center responsible for the mutifuntional activity in this enzyme, since the active site pocket was substantially wide to allow the entry of pNPG, pNPX and pNPGal, which elucidated the structure–function relationship in substrate specificities. Substrate docking results indicated that Glu180 and Glu377 were the essential catalytic residues of the enzyme. The CDOCKER_ENERGY values obtained by substrate docking indicated that the enzyme has higher activity against pNPX than those of pNPG and pNPGal. These observations are in conformity with the results obtained from experimental investigation. Therefore, such substrate specificity makes this β-glucosidase of great interest for further study on physiological and catalytic reaction processes.

A gene, isp-B, encoding an intracellular serine protease from a newly isolated Bacillus sp. WRD-2 was cloned and characterized. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed an open reading frame of 960 bp encoding a polypeptide comprised of 319 amino acids. The primary structure of the enzyme predicted the structural features characteristic of other intracellular serine proteases, including active sites, Ser, His and Asp, as well as no signal sequence. The predicted amino acid sequence showed more than 60% homology with the intracellular serine proteases from Bacillus species. When expressed in E. coli, the recombinant enzyme (rISP-B) was overproduced in the cytoplasm as soluble and active form. The purified enzyme was completely inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, EDTA and antipain. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 8.0 and 45 degrees C. It was stable atpH from 7.5 to 11.0 and below 50 degrees C.

The anticancer activity of salinomycin has evoked excitement due to its recent identification as a selective inhibitor of breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) and its ability to reduce tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. In prostate cancer, similar to other cancer types, CSCs and/or progenitor cancer cells are believed to drive tumor recurrence and tumor growth. Thus salinomycin can potentially interfere with the end-stage progression of hormone-indifferent and chemotherapy-resistant prostate cancer. Androgen-responsive (LNCaP) and androgen-refractive (PC-3, DU-145) human prostate cancer cells showed dose- and time-dependent reduced viability upon salinomycin treatment; non-malignant RWPE-1 prostate cells were relatively less sensitive to drug-induced lethality. Salinomycin triggered apoptosis of PC-3 cells by elevating the intracellular ROS level, which was accompanied by decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, translocation of Bax protein to mitochondria, cytochrome c release to the cytoplasm, activation of the caspase-3 and cleavage of PARP-1, a caspase-3 substrate. Expression of the survival protein Bcl-2 declined. Pretreatment of PC-3 cells with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine prevented escalation of oxidative stress, dissipation of the membrane polarity of mitochondria and changes in downstream molecular events. These results are the first to link elevated oxidative stress and mitochondrial membrane depolarization to salinomycin-mediated apoptosis of prostate cancer cells.

The glpE gene of E. coli was found to be transcribed divergently with respect to glpD, which is adjacent to glpE head-to-head on the E. coli chromosome. We constructed glpD- and/or glpE-lacZ fusion plasmids, which provided glpD and lacZ as reporter genes. The expression of glpD and glpE, under the control of the cAMP-CRP complex, was examined by measuring the activities in E. coli cells of beta-galactosidase encoded by lacZ and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase encoded by glpD. In the double-reporter-gene system, the expression of glpD and glpE was found to be positively regulated by cAMP-CRP. We also confirmed that intracellular levels of the translation products and the transcripts from glpD and glpE were positively regulated by cAMP-CRP. The cAMP-mediated induction of gene expression of glpD and glpE was significantly affected by structural alterations of the single CRP-binding site between glpD and glpE. These results indicate that the single CRP-binding site is a cis-acting element involved in the positive regulation of the expression of both glpD and glpE at the transcriptional level.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain LP03 isolated from soil, produced an antagonistic compound that strongly inhibited the growth of plant-pathogenic fungi and a lipopeptide biosurfactant. Also, isolated strain LP03 had a marked crude oil-emulsifying activity as it developed a clear zone around the colony after incubation for 24 h at 37 degrees C. LP03 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by analysis of partial 16 S rRNA gene and partial gyrA gene sequence. The lipopeptide was purified by acid precipitation of cell-free culture broth, extraction of the precipitates with methanol, silica gel column chromatography, and reverse-phase, high-pressure liquid chromatography. The purified biosurfactant was analyzed biochemical structure by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The masses of the two peaks were observed by HPLC chromatography. Their masses were determined to be 1,044 and 1,058 m/z with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. As constituents of the peptide and lipophilic part of the m/z 1,022.6, seven amino acids (Glu-Leu-Met-Leu-Pro-Leu-Leu) and beta-hydroxy-C13 fatty acid were determined by ESI-MS/MS. The lipopeptide of 1,022.6 Da differed from surfactins in the substitution of leucine, valine and aspartic acid in positions 3, 4, and 5 by methionine, leucine, and proline, respectively. Novel lipopeptide was designated as bamylocin A.

A chitinase encoding gene from Bacillus sp. DAU101 was cloned in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequencing revealed a single open reading frame containing 1781 bp and encoding 597 amino acids with 66 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and zymogram. The chitinase was composed of three domains: a catalytic domain, a fibronectin III domain, and a chitin binding domain. The chitinase was purified by GST-fusion purification system. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 7.5 and 60 degrees C, respectively. The metal ions, Zn(2+), Cu(2+), and Hg(2+), were strongly inhibited chitinase activity. However, chitinase activity was increased 1.4-fold by Co(2+). Chisb could hydrolyze GlcNAc(2) to N-acetylglucosamine and was produced GlcNAc(2), when chitin derivatives were used as the substrate. This indicated that Chisb was a bifunctional enzyme, N-acetylglucosaminase and chitobiosidase. The enzyme could not hydrolyze glycol chitin, glycol chitosan, or CMC, but hydrolyzed colloidal chitin and soluble chitosan.

To identify genes involved in the decolorization of malachite green, random mutants generated by transposon insertion in the malachite green-decolorizing bacterium, Citrobacter sp. were isolated. The resulting mutant bank yielded 24 mutants with complete defects in their abilities to decolorize malachite green. Southern hybridization with a Tn5 fragment as a probe showed a single hybridized band in 7 mutants, which appeared to have insertions at different sites of the chromosome. The Tn5-inserted genes were isolated and the DNA sequence flanking Tn5 was determined. Based on a sequence database, the putative protein products encoded by the mg genes were identified as follows. mg3, an ABC transporter homolog; mg6, a LysR-type regulatory protein; m11, an oxidoreductase; mg17, a MalG protein in the maltose transport system; and mg21, a sugar kinase. The deduced sequences from two mg genes (mg7 and mg18) showed no significant similarity to any protein with a known function, suggesting that these two mg genes encode unidentified proteins that are responsible for the decolorization of malachite green.

Aqualysin I is a subtilisin-type serine protease secreted into the culture medium by Thermus aquaticus YT-1. It is first produced as a large precursor that consists of a signal peptide, an N-terminal pro-domain, the mature protease domain and a C-terminal pro-domain. To investigate whether the N-terminal pro-domain supplied in trans as an independent peptide plays an important role in the folding and secretion of the protease, the N-terminal pro-domain in E. coli has been expressed independent of the mature domain with or without the C-terminal pro-domain using an expression system with separate promoters and signal peptides. Protease assay and SDS-PAGE clearly showed that the N-terminal pro-domain plays an essential role in guiding the proper folding in trans of the enzymatically active conformation of aqualysin I. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the purified enzymes were identical and had no signal peptides. These results indicate that independently expressed domains are secreted into the periplasmic space before the N-terminal pro-domain-assisted folding of the mature domain.

A cDNA encoding omega-3 fatty acid desaturase was isolated from developing perilla seeds and characterized. On the basis of its deduced amino acid sequence comparison, this cDNA was assumed to be a new isoform of microsomal omega-3 fatty acid desaturase gene. Accumulation of the mRNA for this cDNA showed seed-specific expression.

We have cloned at least 12 different Escherichia coli genes which enable strain MK2001 to use maltose. The genes were designated sfs1 through sfs12 (sugar fermentation stimulation). Previously, one (sfs7) of them was mapped at 65 min on the E. coli chromosome and identified as nlp, which has high homology to repressor protein (Ner) of Mu phage, which contains a putative DNA binding region (Y.-L. Choi, T. Nishida, M. Kawamukai, R. Utsumi, H. Sakai, and T. Komano, J. Bacteriol. 171:5222-5225, 1989). In this study, another gene (sfs1) located at 3.5 min was newly found and analyzed. The nucleotide sequence of sfs1 encoded a protein of 234 amino acids (molecular mass, 26,227 Da) which also has a putative DNA binding domain. Overexpression of the sfs1 gene in MK2001 resulted in a 10-fold increase of amylomaltase, which was still dependent on MalT. These results suggest that Sfs1 could be a new regulatory factor involved in maltose metabolism.

The glgP gene, which codes for glycogen phosphorylase, was cloned from a genomic library of Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the glgP gene contained a single open reading frame encoding a protein consisting of 790 amino acid residues. The glgP gene product, a polypeptide of Mr 87 000, was confirmed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that homology between glgP of E. coli and rabbit glgP, human glgP, potato glgP, and E. coli malP was 48.6, 48.6, 42.3, and 46.1%, respectively. Within this homologous region, the active site, glycogen storage site, and pyridoxal-5′-phosphate binding site are well conserved. The enzyme activity of glycogen phosphorylase increased after introduction on a multicopy of the glgP gene.

The glpD gene, which codes for glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, was cloned from the genomic library of Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the glpD gene contained a single open reading frame of 503 amino acid residues. Two new open reading frames, ORFX1 and ORFX2, were located downstream from the glpD gene. The two open reading frames were separated from the glpD gene by repetitive extragenic palindromic units. The putative ORFX1 protein was composed of 97 amino acid residues. The ORFX2 encoded a truncated protein. Computer-assisted analysis of the nucleotide sequence showed that homology in amino acid sequences between ORFX2 protein and rabbit gigP, human gigP, potato gigP, and E. coli malP was 50.6, 51.3, 40.5, and 46.8%, respectively. The operon of glycogen synthesis was closely linked to the glpD gene on the E. coli chromosome. These results suggested that ORFX2 was a truncated protein of the glycogen phosphorylase gene.The deduced primary structure of the glpD protein contains a putative ...