Publications by authors named "Christy Catherine"

High-yield production of soluble protein is a common concern in diverse fields of biotechnology. In this study, a strategy of using an engineered nucleotide sequence of ubiquitin for enhancing the production of soluble proteins in a cell-free synthesis system is presented. When examined for a series of proteins that otherwise were poorly expressed, N-terminal fusion with ubiquitin significantly increased both the expression levels and solubility of the translational products.

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The rapidly evolving cloning and sequencing technologies have enabled understanding of genomic structure of parasite genomes, opening up new ways of combatting parasite-related diseases. To make the most of the exponentially accumulating genomic data, however, it is crucial to analyze the proteins encoded by these genomic sequences. In this study, we adopted an engineered cell-free protein synthesis system for large-scale expression screening of an expression sequence tag (EST) library of Clonorchis sinensis to identify potential antigens that can be used for diagnosis and treatment of clonorchiasis.

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Progress towards genetic sequencing of human parasites has provided the groundwork for a post-genomic approach to develop novel antigens for the diagnosis and treatment of parasite infections. To fully utilize the genomic data, however, high-throughput methodologies are required for functional analysis of the proteins encoded in the genomic sequences. In this study, we investigated cell-free expression and in situ immobilization of parasite proteins as a novel platform for the discovery of antigenic proteins.

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3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) can be produced from glycerol through two sequential enzymatic reactions that are catalyzed by a coenzyme B12 -dependent glycerol dehydratase and an NAD(P)(+) -dependent aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), respectively. Pseudomonas denitrificans synthesizes coenzyme B12 under aerobic conditions, where NAD(P)(+) is regenerated efficiently. Hence, it is considered an ideal host for the production of 3-HP from glycerol under aerobic conditions.

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As was witnessed from PCR technology, in vitro applications of biosynthetic machinery can expand the horizon of biotechnology. Cell-free protein synthesis has emerged as a powerful technology that can potentially transform the concept of bioprocess. With the ability to harness the synthetic power of biology without many of the constraints of cell-based systems, cell-free protein synthesis enables instant creation of protein molecules from diverse sources of genetic information.

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Malonyl-CoA is an intermediary compound that is produced during fatty acid metabolism. Our study aimed to produce the commercially important platform chemical 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) from its immediate precursor malonyl-CoA by recombinant Escherichia coli strains heterologously expressing the mcr gene of Chloroflexus aurantiacus DSM 635, encoding an NADPH-dependent malonyl-CoA reductase (MCR). The recombinant E.

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