• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.7
• /
• pp.1147-1155
• /
• 2018

The degradation efficiency and catabolism pathways of the different methylxanthines (MXs) in isolated caffeine-tolerant strain Pseudomonas putida CT25 were comprehensively studied. The results showed that the degradation efficiency of various MXs varied with the number and position of the methyl groups on the molecule (i.e., xanthine > 7-methylxanthine ${\approx}$ theobromine > caffeine > theophylline > 1-methylxanthine). Multiple MX catabolism pathways coexisted in strain CT25, and a different pathway would be triggered by various MXs. Demethylation dominated in the degradation of N-7-methylated MXs (such as 7-methylxanthine, theobromine, and caffeine), where C-8 oxidation was the major pathway in the catabolism of 1-methylxanthine, whereas demethylation and C-8 oxidation are likely both involved in the degradation of theophylline. Enzymes responsible for MX degradation were located inside the cell. Both cell culture and cell-free enzyme assays revealed that N-1 demethylation might be a rate-limiting step for the catabolism of the MXs. Surprisingly, accumulation of uric acid was observed in a cell-free reaction system, which might be attributed to the lack of activity of uricase, a cytochrome c-coupled membrane integral enzyme.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.756-763
• /
• 2021

Agarose is a linear polysaccharide composed of ᴅ-galactose and 3,6-anhydro-ʟ-galactose (AHG). It is a major component of the red algal cell wall and is gaining attention as an abundant marine biomass. However, the inability to ferment AHG is considered an obstacle in the large-scale use of agarose and could be addressed by understanding AHG catabolism in agarolytic microorganisms. Since AHG catabolism was uniquely confirmed in Vibrio sp. EJY3, a gram-negative marine bacterial species, we investigated AHG metabolism in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), an agarolytic gram-positive soil bacterium. Based on genomic data, the SCO3486 protein (492 amino acids) and the SCO3480 protein (361 amino acids) of S. coelicolor A3(2) showed identity with H2IFE7.1 (40% identity) encoding AHG dehydrogenase and H2IFX0.1 (42% identity) encoding 3,6-anhydro-ʟ-galactonate cycloisomerase, respectively, which are involved in the initial catabolism of AHG in Vibrio sp. EJY3. Thin layer chromatography and mass spectrometry of the bioconversion products catalyzed by recombinant SCO3486 and SCO3480 proteins, revealed that SCO3486 is an AHG dehydrogenase that oxidizes AHG to 3,6-anhydro-ʟ-galactonate, and SCO3480 is a 3,6-anhydro-ʟ-galactonate cycloisomerase that converts 3,6-anhydro-ʟ-galactonate to 2-keto-3-deoxygalactonate. SCO3486 showed maximum activity at pH 6.0 at 50℃, increased activity in the presence of iron ions, and activity against various aldehyde substrates, which is quite distinct from AHG-specific H2IFE7.1 in Vibrio sp. EJY3. Therefore, the catabolic pathway of AHG seems to be similar in most agar-degrading microorganisms, but the enzymes involved appear to be very diverse.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.33-36
• /
• 2007

Catabolism of amino acids, including sulfur-containing amino acids, can be responsible for the development of cheese flavor during ripening Since accelerating, intensifying, modulating cheese flavor development is of major economical interests, the identification of flavor compounds and enzymes contributing to cheese flavor development needs to be investigated. Generally, two different pathways, which are a transamination pathway catalyzed by aminotransferases and an elimination reaction catalyzed by lyases, potentially lead to conversion of amino acids into flavor compounds. In this review, enzymes and amino acid catabolic pathways responsible for cheese flavor formation will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.298-305
• /
• 2016

Previously our laboratory showed that Pseudomonas alkylphenolica KL28 possesses two different lap and pcu gene clusters for p-cresol catabolism. In this study, additional gene cluster (pchACXF-pcaHG-orf4-pcaBC) has been identified to encode enzymes necessary for catabolism of p-cresol to ${\beta}$-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate. This gene cluster showed almost identical nucleotide sequence homologies to those in the plasmid of Pseudomonas putida NCIMB 9866 and 9869, British origins, indicating the possibility of a horizontal gene transfer. Through mutagenesis of each gene cluster and gfp-based promoter reporter assays, it has been shown that the three gene clusters are functionally operated and pch genes are induced by p-cresol. Furthermore, the pcu gene cluster of the three was shown to be dominantly expressed in utilization of p-cresol. Mutation of the pcu gene was defective in aerial structure formation under p-cresol vapor, indicating the utilization rate of carbon source is one of key elements for the multicellular development of this strain.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.4
• /
• pp.303-314
• /
• 2013

Knowledge regarding lipid catabolism has been of great interest in the field of animal sciences. In the livestock industry, excess fat accretion in meat is costly to the producer and undesirable to the consumer. However, intramuscular fat (marbling) is desirable to enhance carcass and product quality. The manipulation of lipid content to meet the goals of animal production requires an understanding of the detailed mechanisms of lipid catabolism to help meticulously design nutritional, pharmacological, and physiological approaches to regulate fat accretion. The concept of a basic system of lipases and their co-regulators has been identified. The major lipases cleave triacylglycerol (TAG) stored in lipid droplets in a sequential manner. In adipose tissue, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) performs the first and rate-limiting step of TAG breakdown through hydrolysis at the sn-1 position of TAG to release a non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and diacylglycerol (DAG). Subsequently, cleavage of DAG occurs via the rate-limiting enzyme hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) for DAG catabolism, which is followed by monoglyceride lipase (MGL) for monoacylglycerol (MAG) hydrolysis. Recent identification of the co-activator (Comparative Gene Identification-58) and inhibitor [G(0)/G(1) Switch Gene 2] of ATGL have helped elucidate this important initial step of TAG breakdown, while also generating more questions. Additionally, the roles of these lipolysis-related enzymes in muscle, liver and skin tissue have also been found to be of great importance for the investigation of systemic lipolytic regulation.

• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.204-212
• /
• 2017

There is a growing preference for using doubled haploids (DHs) in maize breeding programs because they reduce the time required to generate and evaluate new lines to 2 years or less. However, there is an urgent need for efficient techniques that accurately discriminate between haploid and diploid maize kernels. Here, we investigate the effects of several hormones and chemicals on the germination of haploid and diploid maize kernels, including auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis inhibitor (fluridone), ABA catabolism inhibitor (diniconazole), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and NaCl. Ethylene effectively stimulated the germination of both haploid and diploid maize kernels. The ABA biosynthesis inhibitor fluridone, the ABA catabolism inhibitor diniconazole, and MeJA selectively stimulated the germination of haploid maize kernels. By contrast, gibberellin, 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), kinetin, and NaCl inhibited the germination of both haploid and diploid maize kernels. These results indicate that the germination of haploid maize kernels is selectively stimulated by fluridone and diniconazole, and suggest that ABA-mediated germination of haploid maize kernels differs from that of diploid maize kernels and other plant seeds.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.43.1-43.12
• /
• 2021

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most prevalent organisms associated with foodborne illness across the globe causing campylobacteriosis and gastritis. Many proteins of C. jejuni are still unidentified. The purpose of this study was to determine the structure and function of a non-annotated hypothetical protein (HP) from C. jejuni. A number of properties like physiochemical characteristics, 3D structure, and functional annotation of the HP (accession No. CAG2129885.1) were predicted using various bioinformatics tools followed by further validation and quality assessment. Moreover, the protein-protein interactions and active site were obtained from the STRING and CASTp server, respectively. The hypothesized protein possesses various characteristics including an acidic pH, thermal stability, water solubility, and cytoplasmic distribution. While alpha-helix and random coil structures are the most prominent structural components of this protein, most of it is formed of helices and coils. Along with expected quality, the 3D model has been found to be novel. This study has identified the potential role of the HP in 2-methylcitric acid cycle and propionate catabolism. Furthermore, protein-protein interactions revealed several significant functional partners. The in-silico characterization of this protein will assist to understand its molecular mechanism of action better. The methodology of this study would also serve as the basis for additional research into proteomic and genomic data for functional potential identification.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.228-235
• /
• 2021

The amino acids found in plants play important roles in protein biosynthesis, signaling processes, and stress responses, and as components in other biosynthesis pathways. Amino acid degradation helps maintain plant cells' energy states under certain carbon starvation conditions. Branched-chain amino acid transferases (BCATs) play an essential role in the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) such as isoleucine, leucine and valine. In this paper, we performed genome-wide RNA-seq analysis using CsBCAT7-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. We observed significant changes in genes related to flowering time and genes that are germination-responsive in transgenic plants. RNA-seq and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that the expression levels of some BCAA catabolic genes were upregulated in these same transgenic plants, and that this correlated with a delay in their senescence phenotype when the plants were placed in extended darkness conditions. These results suggest a connection between BCAT and the genes implicated in BCAA catabolism.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.101-106
• /
• 1985

The effects of ethanol on the specific rates of growth and ethanol production were found to be threshold and linear inhibition. The degree of inhibition was more apparent on the specific growth rate while ethanol production was continued even the growth was ceased. The nature of uncoupling between the growth (anabolism) and ethanol production (catabolism) was clearly observed under high concentration of ethanol. The uncoupling indicated that ethanol concentration plays a great role in maintenance energy coefficient.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.123-127
• /
• 1999

A Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ-12 isolated by 4-cholrobiphenyl enrichment culture technique is capable of utilizing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid as a sole source of carbon and energy. The bacterium catabolized 4-hydroxybenzoic acid through the intermediate formation of protocatechuic acid, which was further metabolized. The cell free extracts of pseudomonas sp. DJ-12, grown on 4-hydroxybenzoic acid showed higher activities of 4-hydroxyenzoate 3-hydroxylase and protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase, but the activity of catechnol 2,3-dioxygenase was lower. The results suggest that 4-hydroxybenzoic acid is catabolized via protocatechuic acid rather than catechol or gentisic acid in this bacterium and that the protocatechuic acid formed was metabolized through a metacleavage pathway by protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase.