Biomedical subjects

Byung-Gee Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Byung-Gee Kim.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

Spore-displayed streptavidin: a live diagnostic tool in biotechnology.

Streptavidin, which is one of the most widely used proteins in biotechnological application field and is active only in tetrameric form, was surface expressed on the surface of Bacillus subtilis spore. Spore coat protein of B. subtilis, CotG, was used as an anchoring motif to display streptavidin. FACS using anti-streptavidin antibody was used for the verification of surface localization of expressed CotG-streptavidin fusion protein. FACS and dot-blot were used for the verification of biological activity of displayed streptavidin with FITC-labeled biotin.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed2005

Screening of LPS-specific peptides from a phage display library using epoxy beads.

The selection of identical or highly homologous peptides from phage display combinatorial peptide libraries has been unsuccessful in biopanning experiments using microtiter plates. In the present study, by biopanning on LPS-conjugated epoxy beads, we repeatedly enriched clones encoding AWLPWAK and NLQEFLF. These peptides were found to interact with the polysaccharide moiety of LPS, which is highly variable among gram negative bacterial species. In addition, phages encoding these peptides preferentially bound to the LPS of Salmonella family. AWLPWAK-conjugated beads absorbed Salmonella enteritidis from solution and showed a preference for S. enteritidis over Escherichia coli. In summary, this study shows for the first time that a peptide screened from phage displays of combinatorial peptide libraries can be synthesized on beads and be used practically to concentrate bacterial cells from solution.

Bacteriophages↗

PubMed2005

Microaffinity purification of proteins based on photolytic elution: toward an efficient microbead affinity chromatography on a chip.

A bead affinity chromatography system, which was based on the photolytic elution method, was integrated into a glass-silicon microchip to purify specific target proteins. CutiCore beads, which were coupled with a photo-cleavable ligand, such as biotin and an RNA aptamer, were introduced into a filter chamber in the microchip. The protein mixture containing target protein labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was then passed through the packed affinity beads in the microchamber by pressure-driven flow. During the process, the adsorbed protein on the bead was monitored by fluorescence. The concentrated target protein on the affinity bead was released by simple irradiation with UV light at a wavelength of 360 nm, and subsequently eluted with the phosphate buffer flow. The eluted target protein was quantitatively detected via the fluorescence intensity measurements at the downstream of the capillary connected to the outlet of the microchip. The microaffinity purification allowed for a successful method for the identification of specific target proteins from a protein mixture. In addition, the feasibility of this system for use as a diagnosis chip was demonstrated.

Biotin↗

PubMed2005

"In-gel patch electrophoresis:" a new method for environmental DNA purification.

Most of the microorganism species are largely untapped and could represent an interesting reservoir of genes useful for biotechnological applications. Unfortunately, a major difficulty associated with the methods used to isolate environmental DNA is related to the contamination of the extracted material with humic substances. These polyphenolic compounds inhibit the DNA processing reactions and severely impede cloning procedures. In this work, we describe a rapid, simple, and efficient method for the purification of genomic DNA from environmental samples: we added a chromatography step directly embedded into an agarose gel electrophoresis. This strategy enabled the DNA extraction from various environmental samples and it appeared that the purity grade was compatible with digestion by restriction enzymes and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications.

Bryophyta↗

PubMed2005

Use of enrichment culture for directed evolution of the Vibrio fluvialis JS17 omega-transaminase, which is resistant to product inhibition by aliphatic ketones.

A novel high-throughput screening method that overcame product inhibition was used to isolate a mutant omega-transaminase from Vibrio fluvialis JS17. An enzyme library was generated using error-prone PCR mutagenesis and then enriched on minimal medium containing 2-aminoheptane as the sole nitrogen source and 2-butanone as an inhibitory ketone. An identified mutant enzyme, omega-TAmla, showed significantly reduced product inhibition by aliphatic ketone. The product inhibition constants of the mutant with 2-butanone and 2-heptanone were 6- and 4.5-fold higher than those of the wild type, respectively. Using omega-TAmla (50 U/ml) overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21, 150 mM 2-aminoheptane was successfully resolved to (R)-2-aminoheptane (enantiomeric excess, >99%) with 53% conversion with an enantioselectivity of >100.

Amines↗

PubMed2005

Novel method for detection of butanolides in Streptomyces coelicolor culture broth, using a His-tagged receptor (ScbR) and mass spectrometry.

Gamma-butyrolactone derivative molecules in Streptomyces play a crucial role in cell density control, secondary metabolism, and cell differentiation. As their synthesis level in the cell is very low compared to those of similar N-acyl homoserine lactone molecules from gram-negative bacteria, it is very hard to analyze them even with several hundredfold concentration of the culture broth. We have developed a very quick and easy detection method using an affinity capture technique with His-tagged receptor proteins and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Using Streptomyces coelicolor as a model system, SCB1 was detected from only 100 ml of the culture broth after solvent extraction. This method can be further applied to detection and quantitative analysis of butanolides and inhibitor screening of the receptor molecules.

4-Butyrolactone↗

PubMed2004

Enzymatic resolution for the preparation of enantiomerically enriched D-beta-heterocyclic alanine derivatives using Escherichia coli aromatic L-amino acid transaminase.

An enzymatic resolution was carried out for the preparation of enriched beta-heterocyclic D-alanine derivatives using Escherichia coli aromatic L-amino acid transaminase. The excess of pyrazole, imidazole, or 1,2,4-triazole reacted with methyl-2-acetamidoacrylate in acetonitrile in the presence of potassium carbonate at 60 degrees C, directly leading to make the potassium salt of the corresponding N-acetyl-beta-heterocyclic alanine derivatives. After the acidic deprotection of the N-acetyl group, 10 mM of racemic pyrazolylalanine, triazolylalanine, and imidazolylalanine were resolved to D-pyrazolylalanine, D-triazolylalanine, and D-imidazolylalanine with 46% (85% ee), 42% (72% ee), and 48% (95% ee) conversion yield in 18 h, respectively, using E. coli aromatic L-amino acid transaminase (EC 2.6.1.5). Although the three beta-heterocyclic L-alanine derivatives have similar molecular structures, they showed different reaction rates and enantioselectivities. The relative reactivities of the transaminase toward the beta-heterocyclic L-alanine derivatives could be explained by the relationship between the substrate binding energy (E, kcal/mol) to the enzyme active site and the distance (delta, A) from the nitrogen of alpha-amino group of the substrates to the C4' carbon of PLP-Lys258 Schiff base. As the ratio of the substrate binding energy (E) to the distance (delta) becomes indicative value of k(cat)/K(M) of the enzyme to the substrate, the relative reactivities of the beta-heterocyclic L-alanine derivatives were successfully correlated with E/delta, and the relationship was confirmed by our experiments.

Alanine↗

PubMed2004

Kinetic resolution of (R,S)-sec-butylamine using omega-transaminase from Vibrio fluvialis JS17 under reduced pressure.

The kinetic resolution of (R,S) sec-butylamine with the omega-transaminase (TA) from Vibrio fluvialis JS17 was performed under reduced pressure (e.g., 150 torr) to selectively remove an inhibitory product (2-butanone). The evaporation kinetics of 2-butanone at 150 torr in the buffer solution followed the first-order rate law, and the evaporation rate constant was 2.19 1/h, and independent of pH, while the evaporation kinetics of sec-butylamine is dependent on pH. A simple mathematical model of the evaporation of sec-butylamine allowing the estimation of its concentration in the reaction media was developed. The evaporation rate constant of its free amine form and the protonated amine form were 1.00 1/h, and nearly zero, respectively. Although the optimum pH of the omega-TA activity for sec-butylamine is 9.0, the optimal pH of the enzyme reaction under reduced pressure was pH 7.0, due to the higher evaporation rate of sec-butylamine at higher pH above 7.0. Using the recombinant Escherichia coli BL21 overexpressing omega-TA, 400 mM racemic sec-butylamine was resolved successfully to 98% ee of (R)-sec-butylamine with 53% conversion at 150 torr and pH 7.0.

Butylamines↗

PubMed2004

Isolation and characterization of the tobramycin biosynthetic gene cluster from Streptomyces tenebrarius.

The biosynthetic gene cluster for tobramycin, a 2-deoxystreptamine-containing aminoglycoside antibiotic, was isolated from Streptomyces tenebrarius ATCC 17920. A genomic library of S. tenebrarius was constructed, and a cosmid, pST51, was isolated by the probes based on the core regions of 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose (DOI) synthase, and L-glutamine:DOI aminotransferase and L-glutamine:scyllo-inosose aminotransferase. Sequencing of 33.9 kb revealed 24 open reading frames (ORFs) including putative tobramycin biosynthetic genes. We demonstrated that one of these ORFs, tbmA, encodes DOI synthase by in vitro enzyme assay of the purified protein. The catalytic residues of TbmA and dehydroquinate synthase were studied by homology modeling. The gene cluster found is likely to be involved in the biosynthesis of tobramycin.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2004

Microbead-based affinity chromatography chip using RNA aptamer modified with photocleavable linker.

A microbead-based affinity chromatography chip (micro-BACC) controlling hundreds of nanoliters of reaction volume was developed to separate and analyze hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA polymerase protein by immobilization of an RNA aptamer on beads. A photocleavable linker was conjugated in between the beads and the aptamer to elute the bound RNA polymerase from the RNA aptamer in one step by UV irradiation, resulting in an efficient method to elute and identify the target molecule bound on RNA using a mass spectrometer. This linker showed a cleavage activity over 70% upon UV irradiation at 1050 mW/cm2 for more than 5 min. The photoelution method could prevent the target molecule from contaminations in affinity chromatography caused by elution solutions of high salt concentration, extreme pH and detergent, respectively. In this chip, sample reagents up to 800 nL could be metered quantitatively into the bead chamber using a nanoliter dispenser working, based on surface-guided flow control and pneumatic control by external air pressure on the chip. RNA polymerase eluted after UV irradiation was successfully analyzed by trypsin treatment without additional purification. As a result, using the aptamer, we could detect RNA polymerase from 800 nL hepatitis C patient serum containing 96 fmol HCV RNA polymerase. The detection limit of this system was estimated to be 9.6 fmol HCV RNA polymerase.

Chromatography, Affinity↗

PubMed2004

Structural analysis of lipid A from Escherichia coli O157:H7:K- using thin-layer chromatography and ion-trap mass spectrometry.

Rapid separation and structural identification of lipid A from Escherichia coli were performed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and mass spectrometry (MS). After the resolved spot of the lipid A had been scraped from TLC plate, the sample was re-extracted from the removed powder with chloroform-methanol (2 : 1, v/v) and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) and electrospray ionization (ESI) ion-trap MS. For detailed structural characterization, multiple-stage mass analysis (MS(4)) of the major species in ESI-MS/MS provided important information about the series of fragment ions. The dominant fragment ions in each MS stage were produced from the loss of fatty acyl groups mainly driven by charge-remote processes, and this information about the fragment ions can be used to deduce the composition or the position of the fatty acid substituent in the lipid A. In contrast, MALDI-TOFMS indicated that fragmentation resulted from charge-driven processes. Molecular mass profiling and fragmentation analysis provides essential information for clarifying the detailed structure of the lipid A from E. coli O157:H7:K(-).

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗

PubMed2004

Characterization and investigation of substrate specificity of the sugar aminotransferase WecE from E. coli K12.

WecE gene, encoding a sugar aminotransferase (SAT), has been cloned from E. coli K12 and expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The enzyme was purified and characterized. WecE used TDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose (TDP-D-Glc4O) and L-glutamate as a good amino acceptor and donor, respectively, leading to the production of TDP-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-D-galactose (TDP-Fuc4N), which was identified by NMR studies. WecE also showed a similar activity for TDP-4-keto 6-deoxy-D-mannose (TDP-D-Man4O), but no activity for GDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-mannose (GDP-D-Man4O), suggesting that the nucleotide moiety would become a key determinant to the substrate specificity of amine acceptor for the activity of the SAT. Multiple alignments showed that SATs have four highly conserved motifs located around the active site and could be divided into three subgroups (VIalpha, VIbeta, and VIgamma) that might be closely related with their substrate specificities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

omega-Amino acid:pyruvate transaminase from Alcaligenes denitrificans Y2k-2: a new catalyst for kinetic resolution of beta-amino acids and amines.

Alcaligenes denitrificans Y2k-2 was obtained by selective enrichment followed by screening from soil samples, which showed omega-amino acid:pyruvate transaminase activity, to kinetically resolve aliphatic beta-amino acid, and the corresponding structural gene (aptA) was cloned. The gene was functionally expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 by using an isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-inducible pET expression system (9.6 U/mg), and the recombinant AptA was purified to show a specific activity of 77.2 U/mg for L-beta-amino-n-butyric acid (L-beta-ABA). The enzyme converts various beta-amino acids and amines to the corresponding beta-keto acids and ketones by using pyruvate as an amine acceptor. The apparent K(m) and V(max) for L-beta-ABA were 56 mM and 500 U/mg, respectively, in the presence of 10 mM pyruvate. In the presence of 10 mM L-beta-ABA, the apparent K(m) and V(max) for pyruvate were 11 mM and 370 U/mg, respectively. The enzyme exhibits high stereoselectivity (E > 80) in the kinetic resolution of 50 mM D,L-beta-ABA, producing optically pure D-beta-ABA (99% enantiomeric excess) with 53% conversion.

Achromobacter denitrificans↗

PubMed2003

One-pot enzymatic production of dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose from dTMP and glucose-1-phosphate.

An enzymatic production method for dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose, a key intermediate of various deoxysugars in antibiotics, was developed starting from dTMP, acetyl phosphate, and glucose-1-phosphate. Four enzymes, i.e., TMP kinase, acetate kinase, dTDP-glucose synthase, and dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase' were overexpressed using T7 promoter system in the E. coli BL21 strain, and the dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose was synthesized by using the enzyme extracts in one-pot batch system. When 20 mM dTMP of initial concentration was used, Mg2+ ion, acetyl phosphate, and glucose-1-phosphate concentrations were optimized. About 95% conversion yield of dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose was obtained based on initial dTMP concentration at 20 mM dTMP, 1 mM ATP, 60 mM acetyl phosphate, 80 mM glucose-1-phosphate, and 20 mM MgCl(2). The rate-limiting step in this multiple enzyme reaction system was the dTDP-glucose synthase reaction. Using the reaction scheme, about 1 gram of purified dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose was obtained in an overall yield of 81% after two-step purification, i.e., anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration.

Acetate Kinase↗

PubMed2003

Asymmetric synthesis of L-homophenylalanine by equilibrium-shift using recombinant aromatic L-amino acid transaminase.

L-Homophenylalanine (L-HPA) was asymmetrically synthesized from 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyric acid (2-OPBA) and L-aspartate using a recombinant aromatic amino acid transaminase (AroAT). To screen microorganisms having such an L-specific AroAT with a relaxed substrate inhibition in the asymmetric synthesis of unnatural amino acids, enrichment cultures were performed in a minimal media containing 50 mM L-HPA as a sole nitrogen source. To reduce the intracellular background synthetic activity by amino acid pools in the cells, a two-step screening method was used. The putative AroAT (i.e., AroATEs) from the screened Enterobacter sp. BK2K-1 was cloned, sequenced, and overexpressed in E. coli cells. The activity of the overexpressed AroATEs was 314-fold higher than that of the wild-type cell. The substrate specificities of the enzyme and homology search revealed that the cloned transaminase is true AroAT. The AroATEs showed a substrate inhibition by 2-OPBA from 40 mM in the asymmetric synthesis, which made it difficult to perform batch asymmetric synthesis of L-HPA at high concentrations of 2-OPBA. To avoid the substrate inhibition by 2-OPBA, intermittent addition of the solid-state substrate was attempted to obtain a high concentration of L-HPA. By using the cell extract (75 U) obtained from the recombinant E. coli harboring the AroATEs gene, the asymmetric synthesis of L-HPA at 840 mM of 2-OPBA resulted in >94% of conversion yield and >99% ee of L-HPA of optical purity. Due to the low solubility (<2 mM) of L-HPA in the reaction buffer, synthesized L-HPA was continuously precipitated in the reaction media, which drives the reaction equilibrium towards the product formation. After full completion of the reaction, L-HPA of high purity (>99% ee) was easily recovered by simple pH shift of the reaction media. This method can permit very efficient asymmetric synthesis of other unnatural amino acids using a single transaminase reaction.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Simultaneous synthesis of enantiomerically pure (S)-amino acids and (R)-amines using coupled transaminase reactions.

For the simultaneous synthesis of enatiomerically pure (S)-amino acids and (R)-amines from corresponding alpha-keto acids and racemic amines, an alpha/omega-transaminase coupled reaction system was designed using favorable reaction equilibrium shift led by omega-transaminase reaction. Cloned tyrB, aspC and avtA, and omegataA were co-expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) using pET23b(+) and pET24ma, respectively. The coupled reaction produced the (S)-amino acids with 73-90% (> 99% ee(S)) of conversion yield and resolved the racemic amines with 83-99% ee(R) for 5 to 10 hours. In designing the coupled reactions in the cell, alanine and pyruvate were efficiently used in the cell as an amine donor for the alanine transaminase and an amino acceptor for the omega-transaminase, respectively, resulting in an alanine-pyruvate shuttling system. The common problem of the low equilibrium constant of the alpha-transaminase can be efficiently overcome by the coupling with the omega-transaminase. However, overcoming the product inhibition of omega-transaminase by the ketone by-product and increasing the decarboxylation rate of the oxaloacetate produced during the transaminase reaction become barriers to further improving the overall reaction rate and the yield of the coupled reactions.

Amines↗

PubMed2003

Integration of on-column immobilized enzyme reactor in microchip electrophoresis.

A simple method integrating an immobilized enzyme reactor into a microchip electrophoresis device was developed. The enzyme immobilization into a microchip was performed by spotting and drying a drop of dissolved nitrocellulose (NC) on a glass substrate, and adsorbing enzyme on the reconstituted NC membrane. This enzyme-immobilized glass plate was assembled with a polydimethylsiloxane substrate on which the separation channel was fabricated. The advantage of this method is the ability to easily change the position and size of the reactor within the microchip electrophoresis device. A beta-galactosidase reaction was demonstrated with fluorescein di-beta-D-galactopyranoside using this integrated on-column enzyme reactor. A successful electrophoretic separation of its hydrolysis products, i.e., fluorescein mono-beta-D-galactopyranoside (FMG) and fluorescein, was achieved. Enzyme kinetics and inhibition of the beta-galactosidase using FMG and 2-phenylethyl beta-D-thiogalactoside, respectively, were also studied with microchip electrophoresis.

Collodion↗

PubMed2003

Protein patterning on silicon-based surface using background hydrophobic thin film.

A new and convenient protein patterning method on silicon-based surface was developed for protein array by spin coating of hydrophobic thin film (CYTOP). Photolithographic lift-off process was used to display two-dimensional patterns of spatially hydrophilic region. The background hydrophobic thin film was used to suppress nonspecific protein binding, and the hydrophilic target protein binding region was chemically modified to introduce aldehyde group after removal of the photoresist layer. The difference in surface energy between the hydrophilic pattern and background hydrophobic film would induce easier covalent binding of proteins onto defined hydrophilic areas having physical and chemical constraints. Below 1 microg/ml of total protein concentration, the CYTOP hydrophobic film effectively suppressed nonspecific binding of the protein. During the process of protein patterning, inherent property of the hydrophobic thin film was not changed judging from static and dynamic contact angle survey. Quantitative analysis of the protein binding was demonstrated by streptavidin-biotin system.

Biosensing Techniques↗