• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.87-90
• /
• 1998

Various bacterial strains that secret extracellular fibrinolytic enzyme were screened from Doen-Jang, a traditional soybean fermented food in Korea. Five microbes of them were identified to be Bacillus sp. strains according to Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology. The culture filtrates of B. amyloliquefaciens (2.46 plasmin unit/ml) and B. pantothenticus (3.82 plasmin unit/ml) showed a level of fibrinolytic activity that was about three times higher than that of plasmin 1.0 unit and Bacillus subtilis showed the highest fibrinolytic activity (4.94 plasmin unit/ml). All of the extracellular proteases showing the fibrinolytic activity are confirmed by SDS-PAGE followed by reverse fibrin zymogram activity assay and we proposed that some of the fibrinolytic enzymes from this work are novel enzymes.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.16 no.2 s.75
• /
• pp.360-364
• /
• 2006

Fibrin clots of blood vessels are one of the serious factor caused cardiovascular disease. The development of a antithrombotic and thrombolysis solvent is necessary to prevent and treat these diseases. It has been reported that a strong fibrin-specific fibrinolytic enzyme was produced from a Korean fermented soybean paste similar to Japanese miso. We have been screened the known or novel fibrinolytic enzymes by activity-based and sequence-based screening from soil DNA metagenome library containing all kinds of environmental genomic DNA. The activity-based screening was determined the protease activity on 0.5% skim milk. For sequence-based screening, we designed a set of primer expanding gene sequence of fibrinolytic enzyme, performed PCR and selected clones showing the expected size of amplicons from metagenome library. Transformation of the gene encoding fibrinolytic enzyme was carried out with commercial vectors and their transformants were selected. Finally, we found 15 positive clones from metagenome library. Then each of sequences were analyzed and identified as similar or known the clones of nattokinase. We are going to perform full sequence of each clones, ligate with expression vector, transform into competent cells and then determine activity of expressed enzymes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.833-839
• /
• 2021

Bacillus subtilis CH3-5 isolated from cheonggukjang secretes a 28 kDa protease with a strong fibrinolytic activity. Its gene, aprE3-5, was cloned and expressed in a heterologous host (Jeong et al., 2007). In this study, the promoter of aprE3-5 was replaced with other stronger promoters (P_cry3A, P₁₀, P_SG1, P_srfA) of Bacillus spp. using PCR. The constructed chimeric genes were cloned into pHY300PLK vector, and then introduced into B. subtilis WB600. The P10 promoter conferred the highest fibrinolytic activity, i.e., 1.7-fold higher than that conferred by the original promoter. Overproduction of the 28 kDa protease was confirmed using SDS-PAGE and fibrin zymography. RT-qPCR analysis showed that aprE3-5 expression was 2.0-fold higher with the P10 promoter than with the original promoter. Change of the initiation codon from GTG to ATG further increased the fibrinolytic activity. The highest aprE3-5 expression was observed when two copies of the P₁₀ promoter were placed in tandem upstream of the ATG initiation codon. The construct with P10 promoter and ATG and the construct with two copies of P10 promoter in tandem and ATG exhibited 117% and 148% higher fibrinolytic activity, respectively, than that exhibited by the construct containing P10 promoter and GTG. These results confirmed that significant overproduction of a fibrinolytic enzyme can be achieved by suitable promoter modification, and this approach may have applications in the industrial production of AprE3-5 and related fibrinolytic enzymes.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.398-401
• /
• 1995

Two fibrinolytic enzymes from the autolysate of Lumbricus rubellus were purified in homogeneous form. Their molecular sizes were 31,000 (Enz1) and 35,000 (Enz2) Da. respectively. However, the N-Terminal amino acid sequences of Enz1 and Enz2 were exactly the same: Ile-Val-Gly-Gly-Ile-Glu-Ala-Arg-Pro-Tyr-Glu-Phe-Pro-Trp-Gln-. These results indicate that Enz1 is a shortened form of Enz2 formed during autolysis. When a synthetic substrate, Ile-Pro-Arg-pNA, was used, the catalytic activity were observed in the pH range of 5-10 and the kinetic parameters including $K_m$ (1.6 ${\mu}m$) and $V_{max}$ (40 nmol/jmin/mg) were almost identical between the two enzymes. However, the fibrinolytic activity of Enz2 was at least 1.25 times higher than that of Enz1, suggesting that the C-terminal region of Enz2 is important in fibrinolysis but not in amidolysis. Furtheimore. fibrinolytic activity of the enzymes was increased by the addition of the lipid extracted from L. rubellus in the presence of $MgCl_2$ or $CaCl_2$. The stimulatary effect of lipid on Enz2 was higher compared to Enz1.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.327-337
• /
• 2021

Fibrinolytic enzymes with a direct mechanism of action and safer properties are currently requested for thrombolytic therapy. This paper reports on a new enzyme capable of degrading blood clots directly without impairing blood coagulation. This enzyme is also non-cytotoxic and constitutes an alternative to other thrombolytic enzymes known to cause undesired side effects. Twenty-four Bacillus isolates were screened for production of fibrinolytic enzymes using a fibrin agar plate. Based on produced activity, isolate S127e was selected and identified as B. subtilis using the 16S rDNA gene sequence. This strain is of biotechnological interest for producing high fibrinolytic yield and consequently has potential in the industrial field. The purified fibrinolytic enzyme has a molecular mass of 27.3 kDa, a predicted pI of 6.6, and a maximal affinity for Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe. This enzyme was almost completely inhibited by chymostatin with optimal activity at 48℃ and pH 7. Specific subtilisin features were found in the gene sequence, indicating that this enzyme belongs to the BPN group of the S8 subtilisin family and was assigned as AprE127. This subtilisin increased thromboplastin time by 3.7% (37.6 to 39 s) and prothrombin time by 3.2% (12.6 to 13 s), both within normal ranges. In a whole blood euglobulin assay, this enzyme did not impair coagulation but reduced lysis time significantly. Moreover, in an in vitro assay, AprE127 completely dissolved a thrombus of about 1 cc within 50 min and, in vivo, reduced a thrombus prompted in a rat tail by 11.4% in 24 h compared to non-treated animals.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.60-65
• /
• 2000

Two fibrinolytic enzymes were purified from the fruiting bodies of Tricholoma saponaceum. The enzymes have a molecular weight of 18(FE-1) and 18.2(FE-2) kDa, respectively, and include $Zn^{2+}$ ion as determined by ICP/MS. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the two enzymes were exactly the same: A-L-Y-V-G-X-S-P-X-Q-Q-S-L-L-V. The activity of FE-1 was highly inhibited by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline, indicating that the enzyme is a metalloprotease. The activity of FE-1 was slightly increased by $Mg^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Fe^{2+}\;and\; Co^{2+}$, however, the enzyme activity was totally inhibited by $Hg^{2+}$. Addition of $Zn^{2+}\;and\;Co^{2+}$ reversed the inhibition caused by 1,10-phenanthroline. It has a pH optimum at pH 7.5, suggested that FE-1 was a neutral protease. It shows the maximum fibrinolytic activity at $55^{\circ}C$, is completely inactivated above at $65^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.800-807
• /
• 2022

Four aprE genes encoding alkaline serine proteases from B. subtilis strains were used as template genes for family gene shuffling. Shuffled genes obtained by DNase I digestion followed by consecutive primerless and regular PCR reactions were ligated with pHY300PLK, an E. coli-Bacillus shuttle vector. The ligation mixture was introduced into B. subtilis WB600 and one transformant (FSM4) showed higher fibrinolytic activity. DNA sequencing confirmed that the shuffled gene (aprEFSM4) consisted of DNA mostly originated from either aprEJS2 or aprE176 in addition to some DNA from either aprE3-5 or aprESJ4. Mature AprEFSM4 (275 amino acids) was different from mature AprEJS2 in 4 amino acids and mature AprE176 in 2 amino acids. aprEFSM4 was overexpressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) by using pET26b(+) and recombinant AprEFSM4 was purified. The optimal temperature and pH of AprEFSM4 were similar to those of parental enzymes. However, AprEFM4 showed better thermostability and fibrinogen hydrolytic activity than the parental enzymes. The results indicated that DNA shuffling could be used to improve fibrinolytic enzymes from Bacillus sp. for industrial applications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.9
• /
• pp.997-1004
• /
• 2009

Bacillus amyloliquefancies CH51 isolated from cheonggukjang, a traditional Korean fermented soy food, has strong fibrinolytic activity and produces several fibrinolytic enzymes. Among four different growth media, tryptic soy broth was the best in terms of supporting cell growth and fibrinolytic activity of this strain. A protein with fibrinolytic activity was partially purified from the culture supernatant by CM-Sephadex and Phenyl Sepharose column chromatographies. Tandem mass spectrometric analysis showed that this protein is a homolog of AprE from B. subtilis and it was accordingly named AprE51. The optimum pH and temperature for partially purified AprE51 activity were 6.0 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. A gene encoding AprE51, aprE51, was cloned from B. amyloliquefaciens CH51 genomic DNA. The aprE51 gene was overexpressed in heterologous B. subtilis strains deficient in fibrinolytic activity using an E. coli-Bacillus shuttle vector, pHY300PLK.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.134-138
• /
• 2001

By adding sodium chloride (2.5%) into a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DJ-4 culture broth, two serine-type fibrinolytic proteases with a molecular weight of 29 (subtilisin DJ-4) and 38-kDa were stimulated on the SDS-fibrin zymogram or inhibitor gels. B. amyloliquefaciens DJ-4 showed the highest proteolytic activity (5.52 plasmin NIH unit/ml) on the fibrin plate based on the molar ratio when cells were subjected to the 2.5% NaCl. Using a fibrin plate, the secreted protease from this strain in the presence of 5% NaCl showed that about 49% of the enzyme's activity remained after incubation at $60^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, but as the salt concentration was increased (10% NaCl) the activity nearly disappeared (0.14 plasmin NIH unit/ml). However, through a fibrin zymography assay, three fibrinolytic enzymes (38, 53 and 80-kDa) from the cells in the presence of 10% NaCl were detected. Also, two salt-activated serine-type fibrinolytic professes (29 and 38kDa) showed thermostability from 65 to $70^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. Furthermore, these professes also showed stability, pH 6-11. In particular, 29-kDa (subtilisin DJ-4) was very stable in the pH range of 4-11 at $4^{\circ}C$ for 48 h.

• The Korean Journal of Soil Zoology
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.101-106
• /
• 1999

Fibrinolytic enzyme is thought to be involved in extracellular matrix remodeling during regeneration. We investigated the expression and characterization fibrinolytic enzyme activity during earthworm tail regeneration. Electrophoretic analysis of fibrinolytic enzymes induced during regeneration revealed that at least seven types of fibrinolytic enzymes were expressed, which had molecular weight of 12, 19, 23, 27, 32, 45 and 58 kDa, respectively. These fibrinolytic enzyme activities were dramatically increased within 1 day after amputation. These activities were maintained by 7 days postamputation, followed by decrease to control level from 14 days after amputation. Alltypes of fibrinolytic enzyme activities were inhibited by treatment of PMSF and aprotinin, and were insensitive to EDTA and exogenous Ca$^{2+}$. These results indicate that the fibrinolytic enzymes are serineproteinase. Other characteristics including specificities for extracellular matrix proteins are under investigation. Based on these results, we are trying to find out the relationship among expression of proteinases, extracellular matrix remodeling, and dedifferentiation, which are believed to be essential processes during regeneration.