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Alkaliphilic Nocardiopsis sp. strain F96 produced three beta-1,3-glucanase isozymes of different molecular masses (BglF1, BglF2 and BglF3). The N-terminal amino acid sequences of BglFs indicated that these isozymes were the products of a single gene. The beta-1,3-glucanase gene (bglF) was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of strain F96. The bglF gene encoded a polypeptide of 270 amino acids including a signal sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of mature BglF exhibited the highest homology to those of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 16 beta-1,3-glucanases, suggesting that the enzyme belonged to the GH family 16. The mature region of bglF gene was functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. The optimum pH and temperature of purified recombinant BglF were pH 9.0 and 70 degrees C, respectively. This enzyme efficiently hydrolyzed insoluble beta-1,3-glucans and showed the highest activity toward a beta-1,3-1,4-glucan rather than beta-1,3-glucans. These results suggested that BglF would be a novel beta-1,3-glucanse. Mutational analysis revealed that Glu123 and Glu128 should be the catalytic residues of BglF.

Some antitumor agents, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and camptothecin (CPT), often cause resistance of tumor cells to antitumor agents through activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) pathway that leads to up-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins. Therefore, co-treatment of an inhibitor of the NF-kappa B pathway with antitumor agents is a useful strategy for chemotherapy. Here we report that ent-11 alpha-hydroxy-16-kauren-15-one (KD) selectively inhibits NF-kappa B-dependent gene expression due to treatment with TNF-alpha. KD in combination with TNF-alpha caused a dramatic increase in apoptosis in human leukemia cells accompanied by activation of caspases. A broad-spectrum inhibitor of caspases decreased the apoptosis induced by treatment with KD and TNF-alpha. KD in combination with CPT also caused an increase in apoptosis. These results suggest that the apoptotic potency of co-treatment of KD with TNF-alpha or CPT is elicited through selective inhibition of NF-kappa B-dependent anti-apoptotic proteins and thus may provide a basis for the development of useful approaches to the treatment of leukemia.

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beta-1,3-Glucanase F (BglF) from alkaliphilic Nocardiopsis sp. F96 is a single domain enzyme composed of only a catalytic domain. Chimeric BglFs with some carbohydrate-binding domains were constructed and characterized. By connecting the C-terminal additional domain of beta-1,3-glucanase H from Bacillus circulans IAM1165 and the chitin-binding domain of chitinase J from alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. J813, binding ability and hydrolyzing activity toward insoluble beta-1,3-glucans were both improved.