Reconstruction of the Steroid 1(2)-Dehydrogenation System from VKM Ac-2033D in Hosts.

Microbial 1(2)-dehydrogenation of 3-ketosteroids is an important basis for the production of many steroid pharmaceuticals and synthons. When using the wild-type strains for whole cell catalysis, the undesirable reduction of the 20-carbonyl group, or 1(2)-hydrogenation, was observed. In this work, the recombinant strains of and were constructed with blocked endogenous activity of 3-ketosteroid-9α-hydroxylase, 3-ketosteroid-1(2)-dehydrogenase (3-KSD), and expressing 3-KSD encoded by the gene () from VKM Ac-2033D.

Draft genome sequence of soil isolate DVD-1301.

Some strains of possess high sterol-oxidizing activity and are used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of steroid precursors. Herein, we report a draft genome sequence of the soil-dwelling DVD-1301 isolated in the floodplain of the river Oka. The genome contains a full set of steroid catabolic genes.

Obtaining of 24-Norchol-4-ene-3,22-dione from Phytosterol with Mutants of Mycolicibacterium neoaurum.

Engineered mutants of Mycolicibacterium spp. are known producers of valuable steroid synthons with C or C skeleton. Here we describe a method for site-directed mutagenesis of Mycolicibacterium neoaurum strains, bioconversion from phytosterol, and selective purification of C steroid 24-norchol-4-ene-3,22-dione (24-NCED) and C steroid 20-hydroxymethylpregn-4-ene-3-one (20-HMP).

Draft Genome Sequence of Mycolicibacterium smegmatis VKM Ac-1171 Contains Full Set of Sterol Catabolic Genes.

VKM Ac-1171 is a saprotrophic bacterium that was isolated several decades ago and is deposited in microbial collections around the world. We report here a draft genome sequence of the strain. Annotation of the genome revealed the presence of a complete set of genes related to the sterol catabolic pathway.

Deletion of Gene Influences Outer Membrane Vesicles Biogenesis of sp. XL1.

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) produced by Gram-negative bacteria constitute important factors in defining interactions with the extracellular milieu. sp. XL1 produces OMVs capable of lysing microbial cells due to the presence in their cargo of bacteriolytic protease L5 (AlpB).

Complete Genome Sequence of Sterol-Transforming Mycobacterium neoaurum Strain VKM Ac-1815D.

Mycobacterium neoaurum strain VKM Ac-1815D produces 4-androstene-3,17-dione as a major compound from phytosterols. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of the strain. The genome consists of a single circular 5,438,190-bp chromosome, with a G+C content of 66.

Fusion of Aequorea victoria GFP and aequorin provides their Ca(2+)-induced interaction that results in red shift of GFP absorption and efficient bioluminescence energy transfer.

The bioluminescence emitted by Aequorea victoria jellyfish is greenish while its single bioluminescent photoprotein aequorin emits blue light. This phenomenon may be explained by a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) from aequorin chromophore to green fluorescent protein (GFP) co-localized with it. However, a slight overlapping of the aequorin bioluminescence spectrum with the GFP absorption spectrum and the absence of marked interaction between these proteins in vitro pose a question on the mechanism providing the efficient BRET in A.