Kyung-Hwan Jung

Production characteristics of interferon-α using an l-arabinose promoter system in a high-cell-density culture

Abstractu2002Using high-cell-density culture of Escherichia coli under the control of an l-arabinose promoter (ParaB), several factors affecting the production of recombinant protein and the formation of inclusion bodies were studied. The inducer, l-arabinose, showed a maximal induction level above 10.7u2009mM in the final concentration. The concentration of inducer also affected the partition of interferon-α (IFN-α) into the soluble form and inclusion bodies. Induction kinetics of the rate of accumulation of IFN-α on the ParaB promoter showed a slower rate than those of other promoter systems, for example T7, lac or tac. These innate characteristics of ParaB enabled cells to grow continuously in spite of the metabolic burden induced by the expression of foreign protein. The duration time of induction could control the expression of both soluble and insoluble protein. The ratio of yeast extract to glycerol (N/C ratio) in feeding media significantly affected both the production level of recombinant protein and inclusion body formation. The reason for decreasing specific bioactivity during induction can be explained by the increased proportion of inclusion bodies in the total expressed IFN-α.

Dissolved-oxygen-stat controlling two variables for methanol induction of rGuamerin in Pichia pastoris and its application to repeated fed-batch

A DO-stat control strategy for two variables was introduced to the rGuamerin production process in Pichia pastoris and applied to repeated fed-batch culture. Two interrelated variables, namely the ratio of partial pressure of pure O2 in the inlet air-stream and the methanol feed rate, were controlled simultaneously. By using this control strategy, methanol feeding for induction could be controlled automatically while efficiently controlling the dissolved oxygen level. As a result, the cell concentration reached more than 140xa0g l−1 and rGuamerin expression level 450 iu l−1. rGuamerin was secreted into the culture medium and reached a level that was 40% higher than achieved in a fed-batch process using manual control of the methanol feeding rate. Repeated rGuamerin induction was achieved by repeating the methanol feeding and withdrawing the culture broth during extended production. During more than 250xa0h of culture, expression of rGuamerin was maintained at an average of about 430xa0iu l−1 (473xa0mg l−1), without causing the cell density to decrease. In addition to the rGuamerin production process, the proposed control system might be applied to cultivation of other methylotrophic yeasts in the production of therapeutic proteins.

Ultraviolet A Regulates Adipogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose Tissue-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells via Up-regulation of Kruppel-like Factor 2

Adipocyte dysfunction is strongly associated with the development of obesity, which is a major risk factor for many disorders, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. This study shows that ultraviolet A (UVA) inhibits adipogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and its action mechanisms. The mRNA levels of peroxidase proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα), but not CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ((C/EBP) β and δ, were reduced by UVA. Moreover, the mRNA levels of PPAR γ target genes (lipoprotein lipase (LPL), CD36, adipocyte protein (aP2), and liver X receptor α (LXR)) were down-regulated by UVA. Additionally, attempts to elucidate a possible mechanism underlying the UVA-mediated effects revealed that UVA induced migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene expression, and this was mediated through activation of AP-1 (especially JNK and p42/44 MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB. In addition, reduced adipogenesis by UVA was recovered upon the treatment with anti-MIF antibodies. AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation and up-regulation of Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) were induced by UVA. Taken together, these findings suggest that the inhibition of adipogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells by UVA occurs primarily through the reduced expression of PPAR γ, which is mediated by up-regulation of KLF2 via the activation of MIF-AMP-activated protein kinase signaling.

Paradoxical effects of elastase inhibitor guamerin on the tissue repair of two different wound models: sealed cutaneous and exposed tongue wounds

Innate elastase inhibitors are known to be putatively involved in the regulation of tissue inflammation by inhibiting polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) derived proteinases. The aim of this study was to evaluate affects of leukocyte elastase suppression and PMN infiltration on wound healing in mouse by administering the recombinant elastase inhibitor guamerin (rEIG) in two different wound models; 1) impaired pin-punctured dorsal mucosa of anterior tongue wound, 60 mice, treated with saline containing rEIG that were fed ad libitum and 2) stable linear excisional cutaneous wound, 40 mice, covered with fibrin sealant containing rEIG. The progress of healing was analyzed by histological methods. The tongue wounds treated with rEIG became edematous around the pin-punctured tongue wound, and influx of inflammatory cells and PMN into the underlying stromal tissue were seen rapidly after wounding and peaked between 2-4 days. Whereas the control mice showed almost no wheal formation in the pin-punctured wound, a far lesser levels of PMN infiltration, and almost complete wound closure in 4 days. In the other model, the liner excisional cutaneous wound treated with fibrin sealant containing rEIG showed early wound constriction, lesser degree of inflammatory cells influx, and complete reepithelialization in 4-5 days, whereas the wound of control mice with the fibrin sealant alone showed contrary delayed reepithelialization, greater degree of inflammatory cell infiltration, and consequencial formation of greater granulation tissue at wound site. Taken together, these data suggest paradoxical effects of rEIG on the wound healing where in the wound exposed to infiltrating milieu of microorganisms in the oral cavity, the rEIG aggravates the wound healing by interfering with other innate defensive factors and extended greater flux of PMNs to inflamed wound site, while in the wound enclosed by fibrin, the rEIG accelerated wound healing by inhibiting the inflammation-generated proteases and the acute inflammatory reaction.

Stable Isolation of Phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis Associated with High-Pressure Extraction Process

A method for stably purifying a functional dye, phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis was developed by a hexane extraction process combined with high pressure. This was necessary because this dye is known to be very unstable during normal extraction processes. The purification yield of this method was estimated as 10.2%, whose value is 3%–5% higher than is the case from another conventional separation method using phosphate buffer. The isolated phycocyanin from this process also showed the highest purity of 0.909 based on absorbance of 2.104 at 280 nm and 1.912 at 620 nm. Two subunits of phycocyanin namely α-phycocyanin (18.4 kDa) and β-phycocyanin (21.3 kDa) were found to remain from the original mixtures after being extracted, based on SDS-PAGE analysis, clearly demonstrating that this process can stably extract phycocyanin and is not affected by extraction solvent, temperature, etc. The stability of the extracted phycocyanin was also confirmed by comparing its DPPH (α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activity, showing 83% removal of oxygen free radicals. This activity was about 15% higher than that of commercially available standard phycocyanin, which implies that the combined extraction method can yield relatively intact chromoprotein through absence of degradation. The results were achieved because the low temperature and high pressure extraction effectively disrupted the cell membrane of Spirulina platensis and degraded less the polypeptide subunits of phycocyanin (which is a temperature/pH-sensitive chromoprotein) as well as increasing the extraction yield.

Bioethanol production using a yeast Pichia stipitis from the hydrolysate of Ulva pertusa Kjellman.

We studied the repeated-batch process for the bioethanol production from the hydrolysate of Ulva pertusa Kjellman using yeast Pichia stipitis, which is able to assimilate C6- and C5-monosaccharides. During 180-hour operations, the repeated-batch process was carried out stably, and the average bioethanol concentration reached 11.9 g/L from about 30 g/L of reducing sugar in the hydrolysate. Meanwhile, the bioethanol yields, based on the reducing sugar and the quantitative TLC analysis, were 0.40 and 0.37, respectively, which corresponded to 78.4% and 72.5% of theoretical value, respectively. Throughout the quantitative process analysis, it was also demonstrated that 39.67 g-bioethanol could be produced from 1 kg of dried Ulva pertusa Kjellman. In this study, we verified that the bioethanol production from the hydrolysate of Ulva pertusa Kjellman was feasible using a yeast Pichia stipitis, particularly during the repeated-batch operation.

Improvement in Thin-layer Chromatography in a Quantitative Assay of Glycerol in Biodiesel

in Biodiesel Sang-Eun Lee, Woo-Seok Choi, Do-Hyung Kang, Hyeon-Yong Lee and Kyung-Hwan Jung* Department of Biotechnology, Korea National University of Transportation, Jeungpyung 368-701, Korea Department of Medical Biomaterials Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701, Korea Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan 426-744, Korea Department of Food Science and Engineering, Seowon University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 361-742, KoreaWe analyzed glycerol using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and compared the separation resolution of some mobile phases. When acetonitrile:distilled water (85:15 v/v) was used as a mobile phase, the band of glycerol on the TLC was more distinctly and rapidly separated. Using TLC analysis, we prepared a calibration curve for the glycerol concentration vs. the area of the glycerol band in which the glycerol concentration of the x-axis was converted into a log-scale ranging from 3.0 to 0.0625 (%, w/v). Based on this calibration curve, the residual glycerol concentration (0.2 [%, w/v]) in biodiesel was determined successfully using TLC analysis. When the results of the TLC analysis were compared with those of a chemical and enzymatic assay, the results were fairly similar. We conclude that TLC without additional analytical instruments can be used as an alternative method for the quantitative analysis of the concentration of glycerol in biodiesel.

Ethanol Production from Glycerol using Pachysolen tannophilus in a Surface-aerated Fermentor

We investigated ethanol production from glycerol after screening of the yeast Pachysolen tannophilus ATCC 32691. For yeast to produce ethanol form glycerol, it is important that aeration is finely controlled. Therefore, we attempted to produce ethanol using a surface-aerated fermentor. When 880 ml of YPG medium (1% yeast extract, 2% peptone, 2% glycerol) was used to produce ethanol, the optimal aeration conditions for ethanol production were a surface aeration rate and agitation speed of 500 ml/min and 300 rpm, respectively. In a fed-batch culture, the maximum ethanol production and the maximum ethanol yield from glycerol (Ye/g) was 5.74 g/l and 0.166, respectively, after 90 hr using the surface-aerated fermentor.

Enzymatic Synthesis of 1, 2-Hexanediol Galactoside by Whole Cells of β-Galactosidase-containing Recombinant Escherichia coli

side (HD-G) by a transgalactosylation reaction using β-galactosidase (β-gal)-containing recombinant Escherichia coli cells. The transgalactosylation reaction was carried out under high-lactose conditions for 24 hr. After 12 hr had elapsed, a new spot was identified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis, and we presumptively designated this new spot as HD-G. The n, we carried out the purification of the presumptive HD-G spot from the reaction mixture by using silica gel chromatography, and its mass was measured by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. The purified new spot on the chromatograph was identified a sodium adduct ion ([M+Na] + , m/z = 303.1423) of HD-G. In addition, when purified HD-G was hydrolyzed using commercially available E. coli β-gal, it was observed that a galactose molecule was released from HD-G. That is, it was demonstrated that HD-G is a galactoside derivative of HD. Finally, we confirmed that HD-G was enzymatically synthesized by E. coli β -gal as a new molecular entity. In the future, we plan to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations of HD-G against different bacterial species. The cytotoxicity of HD-G against human skin cells will also be examined. It is expected hopefully that the galactosylation of HD would improve the functionality of HD-G.

Immobilization of Yeast Pichia stipitis for Ethanol Production

In this study, DEAE-cotton [derivatized by 2-(diethylamino)ethyl chloride hydrochloride (DEAE·HCl)] was prepared as a carrier for immobilized Pichia stipitis for ethanol production. When cotton was derivatized with 0.5 M DEAE·HCl, the yeast cell suspension was adsorbed at 100% of the initial cell OD600. The adsorbed yeast cells were estimated to be 101.8 mg-dry cells/g-DEAE-cotton. In particular, when a flask culture using the immobilized yeast cells was conducted in a glucose and xylose-containing medium, the yeast cells on the DEAE-cotton gradually produced ethanol, according to glucose and xylose consumption; the ethanol yield was approximately 0.33 g-ethanol/g-monosaccharide. Because DEAE-cotton was successfully used as a carrier for ethanol production from a glucose and xylose-containing medium, we expect that this bioethanol production process may be used for the bioethanol production process from the hydrolysate of lignocellulosic biomass. All the results of DEAE-cotton were compared with those of DEAE-cellulose as a carrier for immobilization.