• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.284-292
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• 2018

A novel ${\beta}$-agarase, AgaJ5, was identified from an agar-degrading marine bacterium, Gayadomonas joobiniege G7. It belongs to the glycoside hydrolase family 86 and is composed of 805 amino acids with a 30-amino-acid signal peptide. Zymogram analysis showed that purified AgaJ5 has agarase activity. The optimum temperature and pH for AgaJ5 activity were determined to be $30^{\circ}C$ and 4.5, respectively. AgaJ5 was an acidic ${\beta}$-agarase that had strong activity at a narrow pH range of 4.5-5.5, and was a cold-adapted enzyme, retaining 40% of enzymatic activity at $10^{\circ}C$. AgaJ5 required monovalent ions such as $Na^+$ and $K^+$ for its maximum activity, but its activity was severely inhibited by several metal ions. The $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ of AgaJ5 for agarose were 8.9 mg/ml and 188.6 U/mg, respectively. Notably, thin-layer chromatography, mass spectrometry, and agarose-liquefication analyses revealed that AgaJ5 was an endo-type ${\beta}$-agarase producing neoagarohexaose as the final main product of agarose hydrolysis. Therefore, these results suggest that AgaJ5 from G. joobiniege G7 is a novel endo-type neoagarohexaose-producing ${\beta}$-agarase having specific biochemical features that may be useful for industrial applications.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.263-268
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• 2017

${\beta}$-Agarase cleaves the ${\beta}$-1,4 linkages of agar to produce neoagarooligosaccharides (NAO), which are associated with various physiological functions. However, the immunological functions of NAO are still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that ${\beta}$-agarase DagA-produced neoagarohexaose (DP6), an NAO product, promoted the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). DP6 directly and indirectly enhanced the activation of natural killer (NK) cells in a TLR4-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo. Finally, the antitumor activity of DP6 against B16F1 melanoma cells was inhibited in NK cell-depletion systems by using NK-cell depleting antibodies in vivo. Collectively, the results indicated that DP6 augments antitumor immunity against B16F1 melanoma cells via the activation of DC-mediated NK cells in a TLR4-dependent manner. Thus, DP6 is a potential candidate adjuvant that acts as an immune cell modulator for the treatment of melanoma.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.198-203
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• 2016

This study aimed to isolate a novel agarase-producing marine bacterium and characterize its agarase, as agarases are known to produce biofunctional agarooligosaccharides or neo-agarooligosaccharides. A novel agar-degrading bacterium, SH-2, was isolated from the seawater of Namhae in Gyeongnam Province, Korea, and cultured in Marine agar 2216 medium. The 16S rRNA gene sequence represented 99% identity with that of the members of the Marinomonas genus; hence, the isolated bacterium was named Marinomonas sp. SH-2. The crude agarase was prepared from a culture medium of Marinomonas. sp SH-2, and exhibited maximum agarase activity at 170.2 units/l. The optimum conditions were pH 6.0 and 30℃ in 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer. The agarase activity of the bacterium was highly elevated from 20℃(42% relative activity) to 30℃(100%), and 82% activity was shown at 40℃. Its relative activities were less than 40% at over 40℃ after a 0.5 hr exposure. Relative activity was 100% at pH 6.0, while it was 72% and 48% at pH 5.0 and pH 7.0, respectively. The enzyme from Marinomonas sp. SH-2 degraded agarose to neoagarohexaose and neoagarotetraose, indicating that the enzyme is β-agarase. Thus, Marinomonas sp. SH-2 and its enzyme could be practical for applications in food, cosmetic, and medical research.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1378-1385
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• 2010

A novel agarolytic bacterium, KY-YJ-3, producing extracellular agarase, was isolated from the freshwater sediment of the Sincheon River in Daegu, Korea. On the basis of Gram-staining data, morphology, and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence, the isolate was identified as Cellvibrio sp. By ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Toyopearl QAE-550C, Toyopearl HW-55F, and MonoQ column chromatographies, the extracellular agarase in the culture fluid could be purified 120.2-fold with a yield of 8.1%. The specific activity of the purified agarase was 84.2 U/mg. The molecular mass of the purified agarase was 70 kDa as determined by dodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The optimal temperature and pH of the purified agarase were $35^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0, respectively. The purified agarase failed to hydrolyze the other polysaccharide substrates, including carboxymethyl-cellulose, dextran, soluble starch, pectin, and polygalacturonic acid. Kinetic analysis of the agarose hydrolysis catalyzed by the purified agarase using thin-layer chromatography showed that the main products were neoagarobiose, neoagarotetraose, and neoagarohexaose. These results demonstrated that the newly isolated freshwater agarolytic bacterium KY-YJ-3 was a Cellvibrio sp., and could produce an extracellular ${\beta}$-agarase, which hydrolyzed agarose to yield neoagarobiose, neoagarotetraose, and neoagarohexaose as the main products.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2020

We improved on a unified saccharification and fermentation (USF) system for the direct production of ethanol from agarose by increasing total agarase activity. The pGMFα-NGH plasmid harboring the NABH558 gene encoding neoagarobiose hydrolase and the AGAG1 and AGAH71 genes encoding β-agarase was constructed and used to transform Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2805. NABH558 gene transcription level was increased and total agarase activity was increased by 25 to 40% by placing the NABH558 gene expression cassette upstream of the other gene expression cassettes. In the 2805/pGMFα-NGH transformant, three secretory agarases were produced that efficiently degraded agarose to galactose, 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose (AHG), neoagarobiose, and neoagarohexaose. During the united cultivation process, a maximum of 2.36 g/l ethanol from 10 g/l agarose was produced over 120 h.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.524-529
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• 1998

An agarase was partially purified from the culture broth of marine bacterium Bacillus cereus ASK202. Optimal pH and temperature of this agarase were found to be 7.0 and 40$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The maximum productivity of agarooligosaccharides was obtained from 0.3 %(w/v) agar by using of 1 unit agarase. As the results of TLC and HPLC analysis, these oilgosaccharides consisted of neoagarobiose, neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose. Under the optimal reaction conditions, 77.5 %(w/v) neoagarobiose and 6.2 %(w/v) neoagarotetraose were produced from agar and the conversion yield of total agarooligosaccharides was 83.7 %(w/v) after for 2 h reaction at 40$^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.48-51
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• 2014

${\alpha}$-Neoagarooligosaccharide (${\alpha}$-NAOS) hydrolase was purified from Cellvibrio sp. OA-2007 by using chromatographic techniques after hydroxyapatite adsorption. The molecular masses of ${\alpha}$-NAOS hydrolase estimated using SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography were 40 and 93 kDa, respectively, and the optimal temperature and pH for the enzyme activity were $32^{\circ}C$ and 7.0-7.2. ${\alpha}$-NAOS hydrolase lost 43% of its original activity when incubated at $35^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. The enzyme hydrolyzed neoagarobiose, neoagarotetraose, and neoagarohexaose to galactose, agarotriose, and agaropentaose, respectively, and produced 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose concomitantly; however, it did not degrade agarose.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.156-162
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• 2016

In this study, we isolated a new agar-degrading marine bacterium and characterized its agarase. An agardegrading marine bacterium SH-1 was isolated from seawater, collected from the seashore of Namhae in Gyeongnam province, Korea, and cultured in marine agar 2216 media. It was identified as Maribacter. sp. SH-1 by phylogenetic analyses, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence. The extracellular agarase was extracted from culture media of Maribacter sp. SH-1 and characterized. Its relative activities were 56, 62, 94, 100, and 8% at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60℃, respectively, whereas 15, 100, 60, and 21% relative activities were observed at pH 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. Its extracellular agarase exhibited maximum activity (231 units/l) at pH 6.0 and 50℃, in 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer. Therefore, this agarase would be applicable as it showed the maximum activity at the temperature at which the agar is in a sol state. Furthermore, the agarase activities remained over 90% at 20, 30, and 40℃ after 0.5 h exposure at these temperatures. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that Maribacter sp. SH-1 produces extracellular β-agarase, as it hydrolyzes agarose to produce neoagarooligosaccharides, such as neoagarohexaose (34.8%), neoagarotetraose (52.2%), and neoagarobiose (13.0%). Maribacter sp. SH-1 and its β-agarase would be useful for the production of neoagarooligosaccharides, which shows functional properties, like skin moisturizing, skin whitening, inhibition of bacterial growth, and delay in starch degradation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1545-1551
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• 2012

Authors report the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 16 ${\beta}$-agarase from the strain of Agarivorans sp. JA-1, which authors previously stated as recombinant expression and characterization of GH-50 and GH-118 ${\beta}$-agarase. It comprised an open reading frame of 1,362 base pairs, which encodes a protein of 49,830 daltons consisting of 453 amino acid residues. Valuation of the total sequence showed that the enzyme has 98% nucleotide and 99% amino acid sequence similarities to those of GH-16 ${\beta}$-agarase from Pseudoalteromonas sp. CY24. The gene corresponding to a mature protein of 429 amino acids was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli, and the enzyme was purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography. It showed maximal activity at $40^{\circ}C$ and pH 5.0, representing 67.6 units/mg. Thin layer chromatography revealed that mainly neoagarohexaose and neoagarotetraose were produced from agarose. The enzyme would be valuable for the industrial production of functional neoagarooligosaccharides.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to isolate a new marine agarase-producing bacterium. Agarase can hydrolyze agar and agarose to produce agarooligosaccharides or neoagarooligosaccharides, which possess many physiological functions. Strain DH-3 was isolated from seawater collected from the coast of Yeosu at Jeollanam province, Korea. A 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed this strain to be Persicobacter sp. DH-3. Extracellular agarase was prepared from culture media of Persicobacter sp. DH-3 and used for characterization. Relative activities at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and $70^{\circ}C$ were 50, 55, 70, 100, 90, and 50%, respectively. Relative activities at pH 5, 6, 7, and 8 were 75, 100, 90, and 75%, respectively. The enzyme showed maximum activity at $50^{\circ}C$ in a 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer at pH 6. This enzyme could be useful, as agar is in liquid state at $50^{\circ}C$. Agarase activities were maintained at 80% or more for 2 hr at 20, 30, and $40^{\circ}C$. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that Persicobacter sp. DH-3 produced extracellular ${\beta}$-agarases as it hydrolyzed agarose to produce neoagarohexaose and neoagarotetraose. In addition, zymogram analysis confirmed that Persicobacter sp. DH-3 produces at least three agar-degrading enzymes with molecular weights of 45, 70, and 140 kDa. Therefore, it is expected that agarases from Persicobacter sp. DH-3 could be used to produce functional neoagarooligosaccharides.