Chang-Su Park

Biotransformation of ginsenosides by hydrolyzing the sugar moieties of ginsenosides using microbial glycosidases

Ginsenosides are the principal components responsible for the pharmaceutical activities of ginseng. The minor ginsenosides, which are also pharmaceutically active, can be produced via the hydrolysis of the sugar moieties in the major ginsenosides using acid hydrolytic, heating, microbial, and enzymatic transformation techniques. The enzymatic method has a profound potential for ginsenoside transformation, owing to its high specificity, yield, and productivity, and this method is increasingly being recognized as a useful tool in structural modification and metabolism studies. In this article, the transformation methods of ginsenosides, the characterization of microbial glycosidases with ginsenoside hydrolyzing activities, and the enzymatic production of minor ginsenosides are reviewed. Moreover, the conversions of ginsenosides using cell extracts from food microorganisms and recombinant thermostable β-d-glycosidases are proposed as feasible methods for use in industrial processes.

Characterization of a recombinant β-glucosidase from the thermophilic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus

A recombinant beta-glucosidase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus DSM 8903 with a specific activity of 13 U/mg was purified by heat treatment and His-Trap affinity chromatography and identified as a single 54 kDa band on SDS-PAGE. The molecular mass of the native enzyme was 108 kDa as a dimer by gel filtration. beta-Glucosidase showed optimum activity at pH 5.5 and 70 degrees C for p-nitrophenyl (pNP)-beta-d-glucopyranoside. The half-lives of the enzyme at 60, 70, and 80 degrees C were 250, 24.3, and 0.4 h, respectively. The enzyme exhibited catalytic efficiency and specific activity for pNP-beta-d-fucopyranoside, pNP-beta-d-glucopyranoside, and pNP-beta-d-galactopyranoside in decreasing order among aryl-beta-glycosides, but not for aryl-alpha-glycosides. Cello-oligosaccharides from n = 2 to 5 as substrates using 4 mM each sugar and 3 U/mg of enzyme were completely hydrolyzed to glucose at 70 degrees C within 16 h.

Substrate Specificity of a Mannose-6-Phosphate Isomerase from Bacillus subtilis and Its Application in the Production of l-Ribose

ABSTRACT The uncharacterized gene previously proposed as a mannose-6-phosphate isomerase from Bacillus subtilis was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The maximal activity of the recombinant enzyme was observed at pH 7.5 and 40°C in the presence of 0.5 mM Co2+. The isomerization activity was specific for aldose substrates possessing hydroxyl groups oriented in the same direction at the C-2 and C-3 positions, such as the d and l forms of ribose, lyxose, talose, mannose, and allose. The enzyme exhibited the highest activity for l-ribulose among all pentoses and hexoses. Thus, l-ribose, as a potential starting material for many l-nucleoside-based pharmaceutical compounds, was produced at 213 g/liter from 300-g/liter l-ribulose by mannose-6-phosphate isomerase at 40°C for 3 h, with a conversion yield of 71% and a volumetric productivity of 71 g liter−1 h−1.

l-Ribose Production from l-Arabinose by Using Purified l-Arabinose Isomerase and Mannose-6-Phosphate Isomerase from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans

ABSTRACT Two enzymes, l-arabinose isomerase and mannose-6-phosphate isomerase, from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans produced 118 g/liter l-ribose from 500 g/liter l-arabinose at pH 7.0, 70°C, and 1 mM Co2+ for 3 h, with a conversion yield of 23.6% and a volumetric productivity of 39.3 g liter−1 h−1.

Prevalence, phenotypic traits and molecular characterization of emetic toxin‐producing Bacillus cereus strains isolated from human stools in Korea

Aims:  To investigate the prevalence and genotypic/phenotypic characters of emetic toxin‐producing Bacillus cereus strains isolated from sporadic food poisoning cases in Korea.

Substrate specificity of a recombinant d-lyxose isomerase from Providencia stuartii for monosaccharides

The specific activity and catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) of the recombinant putative protein from Providencia stuartii was the highest for D-lyxose among the aldose substrates, indicating that it is a D-lyxose isomerase. Gel filtration analysis suggested that the native enzyme is a dimer with a molecular mass of 44 kDa. The maximal activity for D-lyxose isomerization was observed at pH 7.5 and 45 degrees C in the presence of 1 mM Mn(2+). The enzyme exhibited high isomerization activity for aldose substrates with the C2 and C3 hydroxyl groups in the left-hand configuration, such as D-lyxose, D-mannose, L-ribose, D-talose, and L-allose (listed in decreasing order of activity). The enzyme exhibited the highest activity for D-xylulose among all pentoses and hexoses. Thus, D-lyxose was produced at 288 g/l from 500 g/l D-xylulose by D-lyxose isomerase at pH 7.5 and 45 degrees C for 2 h, with a conversion yield of 58% and a volumetric productivity of 144 g l(-1) h(-1). The observed k(cat)/K(m) (920 mM(-1) s(-1)) of P. stuartiid-lyxose isomerase for D-xylulose is higher than any of the k(cat)/K(m) values previously reported for sugar and sugar phosphate isomerases with monosaccharide substrates. These results suggest that the enzyme will be useful as an industrial producer of D-lyxose.

Hydrolytic properties of a thermostable α-L-arabinofuranosidase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus

Aims:  To characterize of a thermostable recombinant α‐l‐arabinofuranosidase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus for the hydrolysis of arabino‐oligosaccharides to l‐arabinose.

Substrate specificity of ribose-5-phosphate isomerases from Clostridium difficile and Thermotoga maritima

The activity of ribose-5-phosphate isomerases (RpiB) from Clostridium difficile for d-ribose isomerization was optimal at pH 7.5 and 40°C, while that from Thermotoga maritima for l-talose isomerization was optimal at pH 8.0 and 70°C. C. difficile RpiB exhibited activity only with aldose substrates possessing hydroxyl groups oriented in the right-handed configuration (Fischer projections) at the C2 and C3 positions, such as d-ribose, d-allose, l-talose, l-lyxose, d-gulose, and l-mannose. In contrast, T. maritima RpiB displayed activity only with aldose substrates possessing hydroxyl groups configured the same direction at the C2, C3, and C4 positions, such as the d- and l-forms of ribose, talose, and allose.

High Concentration Cultivation of Bifidobacterium bifidum in a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor

In batch cultures, after 25 h, the maximum cell mass of Bifidobacterium bifidum BGN4 was 4.5 g/L, and the maximum cell count was 3.0 × 109 cfu/mL at pH 6.0 and 50 g/L sucrose. To increase the viable counts of bifidobacteria, cell retentive culture was applied using a submerged membrane bioreactor with suction and gas sparging. The maximum mass, count, and productivity of the cells after 36 h were 12.0 g/L, 2.2 × 1010 cfu/mL, and 6.1 × 108 cfu/mL·h, respectively, at the feeding (dilution) rate of 120 mL/h (0.06 h−1) in the feeding medium. The accumulated levels of organic acids and ammonium ions at the end of the cultivation were 1.5 and 1.0 g/L, respectively. The viable counts and volumetric productivity of the cells after the cell retentive culture were 7.3‐ and 5.1‐fold higher, respectively, than the values obtained during batch culture. These high viable counts and volumetric productivities were obtained by maintaining lower concentrations of organic acids and ammonium ions so that the growth of B. bifidum BGN4 was not inhibited. The submerged membrane bioreactor produced the highest viable counts of B. bifidum without membrane fouling and cell damage.

Substrate specificity of a recombinant D-lyxose isomerase from Serratia proteamaculans that produces D-lyxose and D-mannose.

Aims:  Characterization of substrate specificity of a d‐lyxose isomerase from Serratia proteamaculans and application of the enzyme in the production of d‐lyxose and d‐mannose.