• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1354-1360
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to develop a simple, environmentally friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) without the use of chemical reducing agents by exploiting the extracellular synthesis of SNPs in a culture supernatant of Bacillus thuringiensis CH3. Addition of 5 mM $AgNO_3$ to the culture supernatant at a ratio of 1:1 caused a change in the maximum absorbance at 418 nm corresponding to the surface plasmon resonance of the SNPs. Synthesis of SNPs occurred within 8 hr and reached a maximum at 40-48 hr. The structural characteristics of the synthesized SNPs were investigated by various instrumental analysis. FESEM observations showed the formation of well-dispersed spherical SNPs, and the presence of silver was confirmed by EDS analysis. The X-ray diffraction spectrum indicated that the SNPs had a face-centered cubic crystal lattice. The average SNP size, calculated using DLS, was about 51.3 nm and ranged from 19 to 110 nm. The synthesized SNPs exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against a variety of pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. The highest antimicrobial activity was observed against C. albicans, a human pathogenic yeast. The FESEM observations determined that the antimicrobial activity of the SNPs was due to destruction of the cell surface, cytoplasmic leakage, and finally cell lysis. This study suggests that B. thuringiensis CH3 is a potential candidate for efficient synthesis of SNPs, and that these SNPs have potential uses in a variety of pharmaceutical applications.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.652-658
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• 2022

This study was conducted to induce somatic embryogenic callus (SEC) derived from petals in rose. The petal explants of 3 cultivars ('Ice Wing', 'Orange Eye' and 'Pink Beauty') with different flower colors were placed on three types media (MS, SH and WPM) supplemented with 11 mg/L 2,4-D, respectively, and then cultured in the dark for 47 days. Calluses were formed at explants of all three cultivars. Also, 'Ice Wing', which were cultured in the SH as the basal medium, showed the highest callus formation rate. However, somatic embryos were generated from only petal-derived callus of 'Ice Wing', which were induced on the WPM as the basal medium, transferred it to SH basal medium supplemented with 3 mg/L 2,4-D, and 300 mg/L L-proline, and cultured for 5 weeks. The SEC has been proliferated every four weeks at the subculture interval. In addition, as a results of making a comparison of expression of RhSERK3 and RhSERK4, which is used as signal for generation of somatic embryo from callus in rose, between the SEC and petal-derived callus from 'Ice Wing' by RT-qPCR, the former showed 10 times higher RhSERK3 expression and 700 times higher RhSERK4 expression than the latter.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.310-316
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• 2021

Purpose: Septic arthritis of the knee is an orthopedic emergency that requires early diagnosis and surgical treatment. This study examined the effectiveness of drain insertion and irrigation in the treatment of septic arthritis of the knee under local anesthesia. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on nine cases (eight patients) diagnosed with septic arthritis of the knee from September 2017 to February 2020 and treated with drain insertion and irrigation under local anesthesia. After penetrating through the superolateral portal to the superomedial portal and inserting the drain, daily irrigation of approximately 3 L of normal saline was done. The following were investigated: age, sex, underlying disease, cause, degree of osteoarthritis, time from diagnosis to surgery, duration of hospitalization, duration of normalization of C-reactive protein, and smear and culture. Results: The initial white blood cell count of joint fluid was 71,472±51,667/mm³ (32,400-203,904/mm³), and polymorphic leukocytes were 91.1%±2.6% (86%-95%). The average time from diagnosis to surgery was 8.3±1.3 hours (6-10 hours), and the irrigation period was 8.2±3.2 days (4-15 days). The average length of hospitalization was 20.8±8.7 days (9-37 days). There was no reoperation or recurrence. Smear and culture tests were not identified. Conclusion: In the treatment of septic arthritis of the knee, the insertion of a drain tube and irrigation under local anesthesia is a relatively fast and simple method to reduce pain by repetitive draining of purulent joint fluid and can be used as an alternative treatment for patients with a risk of general or spinal anesthesia.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.304-312
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• 2024

This study was conducted to characterize strain Y10, isolated from discarded chicken feathers. Strain Y10 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens through phenotypic and 16S rRNA gene analysis. B. amyloliquefaciens Y10 exhibited plant growth-promoting activities, including the production of fungal cell-degrading enzymes (cellulase, lipase, protease, and pectinase), siderophores, ammonia, and indoleacetic acid. Furthermore, strain Y10 was able to inhibit the mycelial growth of several phytopathogenic fungi. When 0.1% sucrose as a carbon source and 0.05% casein as a nitrogen source were added to the basal medium, adjusted to pH 10, and cultured at 35℃, the degradation rate of chicken feathers by strain Y10 was about two times higher than that of the basal medium, with the feathers almost completely degraded in four days. Strain Y10 also degraded various keratin substrates, including duck feathers, wool, and human nails. It was confirmed that the feather hydrolyzates prepared using strain Y10 exhibited antioxidant activities, such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (EC₅₀ = 0.38 mg/ml) and superoxide dismutase-like activity (EC₅₀ = 183.7 mg/ml). These results suggest that B. amyloliquefaciens Y10 is a potential candidate for the development of bioinoculants and feed additives applicable to the agricultural and livestock industries, as well as the microbiological treatment of keratin waste.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.9-21
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• 2024

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) including Saxitoxin (STX) is caused by harmful algae, and poisoning occurs when the contaminated seafood is consumed. The mouse bioassay (MBA), a standard test method for detecting PSP, is being sanctioned in many countries due to its low detection limit and the animal concerns. An alternative to the MBA is the Neuro-2a cell-based assay. This study aimed to establish various test conditions for Neuro-2a assay, including cell density, culture conditions, and STX treatment conditions, to suit the domestic laboratory environment. As a result, the initial cell density was set to 40,000 cells/well and the incubation time to 24 hours. Additionally, the concentration of Ouabain and Veratridine (O/V) was set to 500/50 μM, at which most cells died. In this study, we identified eight concentrations of STX, ranging from 368 to 47,056 fg/μl, which produced an S-shaped dose-response curve when treated with O/V. Through inter-laboratory variability comparison of the Neuro-2a assay, we established five Quality Control Criteria to verify the appropriateness of the experiments and six Data Criteria (Top and Bottom OD, EC₅₀, EC₂₀, Hill slop, and R² of graph) to determine the reliability of the experimental data. The Neuro-2a assay conducted under the established conditions showed an EC₅₀ value of approximately 1,800~3,500 fg/μl. The intra- & inter-lab variability comparison results showed that the coefficients of variation (CVs) for the Quality Control and Data values ranged from 1.98% to 29.15%, confirming the reproducibility of the experiments. This study presented Quality Control Criteria and Data Criteria to assess the appropriateness of the experiments and confirmed the excellent repeatability and reproducibility of the Neuro-2a assay. To apply the Neuro-2a assay as an alternative method for detecting PSP in domestic seafood, it is essential to establish a toxin extraction method from seafood and toxin quantification methods, and perform correlation analysis with MBA and instrumental analysis methods.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.345-363
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• 2023

The genus Desmodesmus (Chodat) S.S. An, T. Friedl & E. Hegewald is ubiquitous in freshwater ecosystems, such as rivers, ponds, and wetlands. The actual species diversity and distribution of the genus is unknown because of morphological plasticity affected by habitats. Currently, 38 Desmodesmus species have been reported in Korea most of which transferred from the genus Scenedesmus recently, however, no phylogenetic relationships have been studied yet. Despite the challenges in analyzing relationships among Desmodesmus species through the morphology, ecology, and original description, this study focused on examining species-level relationships using the FBCC culture strains isolated from Korea. A total of 299 sequences (66 of 18S rRNA, 47 of atpB, 67 of petA, 52 of rbcL, and 67 of tufA) were newly determined and used for phylogenetic analysis. Four plastid genes tend to have higher variation than 18S rRNA in the variable sites and P-distance. From the combined phylogeny, the Desmodesmus included six clades such as Clade-1: D. pseudoserratus and D. serratus, Clade-2: D. communis, D. dispar, D. maximus, D. pannonicus, unidentified Desmodesmus sp., Clade-3: D. bicaudatus and D. intermedius, Clade-4: D. microspina, D. multivariablis, D. pleiomorphus, D. subspicatus, Clade-5: D. abundans, D. kissii, and D. spinosus, and Clade-6: D. armatus, D. armatus var. longispina, D. opoliensis, unidentified Desmodesmus spp. The new sequence data from FBCC strains will be used to identify species and study the molecular ecology of scenedesmacean green algae in freshwater ecosystems. The phylogenetic information from this study will expand our understanding of Desmodesmus species diversity in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.23 no.3 s.74
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• pp.246-256
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• 1995

Phenotypic characteristics, pathogenicity and fungicides resistance of fifty one isolates of Botrytis cinerea obtained from various host plants were observed and determined. The relationships between these characteristics were also investigated on the basis of isolation host plants. The isolates of B. cinerea varied in the capacity of sclerotia formation and sporulation. The pathogenicity of 44 isolates from tomato, cucumber, and strawberry was significantly stronger with 3.2 cm in average diameter of necrotic lesions on cucumber leaves than that of seven isolates from other host plants such as orange, gerbera, ginseng, kiwi, grape, pear and from butter with 1.8 cm in average diameter of necrotic lesions. Benomyl resistance of 12 isolates from tomato plants was much higher with the $EC_{50}$, 562 ppm than that of 19 isolates from various host plants. Diethofencarb resistance, however, of 11 isolates from strawberry plants was highest with the $EC_{50}$, 210 ppm among isolates from other host plants. Polygalacturonase activity varied among isolates in the range of 0 to 103 unit and that of isolates from tomato, cucumber and strawberry was slightly lower than that of isolates from other host plants. No significant relationship between pathogenicity and fungicides resistance, polygalacturonase activity was found among 51 isolates of B. cinerea. Isozyme patterns of polygalacturonase produced from two strongly and weakly pathogenic isolates (FC122, KC6) were slightly different depending upon carbon sources during cultivation.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.410-417
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• 2010

Several extracellular protease-producing bacteria were isolated from Chungkookjang, a traditional Korean food of fermented soybeans, on skim milk agar plates. Among these bacteria, strain D14 exhibited the highest production (15.2 U/mL) and specific activity (40.0 U/mg protein) of extracellular protease activity as assessed on growth in a protease induction medium composed of 1% (w/v) soluble starch, 1.5% (w/v) skim milk, 0.5% (w/v) yeast extract, and 2% (w/v) NaCl. The bacterium was identified as Bacillus subtilis based on morphological and physiological characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence. A BLAST search of 16S rDNA sequences revealed that the isolate was most closely related to Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis strain NCIB 3610. The 16S rDNA sequence homology was 99.9%. Our isolate produced the highest level of protease when grown in a protease induction medium containing 1% (w/v) sorbitol and 0.5% (w/v) yeast extract. Fructose and glucose reduced enzyme production to 12.7% and 35.9%, respectively, of the level seen when the strain was grown in medium containing soluble starch. Soytone also reduced enzyme production to 61.4% of the level noted when the strain was grown in medium containing yeast extract.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.925-931
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• 2015

We performed a molecular marker-based analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for traits that determine the quality of the appearance of grains, using 120 doubled-haploid (DH) lines developed by another culture from the F1 cross between ‘Cheongcheong’ (Oryza sativa L. ssp. Indica) and ‘Nagdong’ (Oryza sativa L. ssp. Japonica). The traits studied included length, width, and thickness of the grains, as well as length-to-width ratio and 1,000-grain weight. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic control of these traits in order to formulate a strategy for improving the appearance of this hybrid. Within the DH population, five traits exhibited wide variation, with mean values occurring within the range of the two parents. Three QTLs were identified for grain length on chromosomes 2, 5, and 7. Three QTLs were mapped for grain width on chromosome 2: qGW2-1, qGW2-2, and qGW2-3. Six chromosomes were identified for the grain length-to-width ratio; four of these were on chromosome 2, whereas the other two were on chromosomes 7 and 12. One QTL influencing 1,000-grain weight was identified and located on chromosome 8. The results presented in the present study should facilitate rice-breeding, especially for improved hybrid-rice quality.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.987-990
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• 2012

Mungbean sprout rot is one of the most serious problems of the commercial mungbean sprout industry. In this study, 70 strains of mungbean sprout rot pathogens were isolated from rotten sprouts at different time intervals. The pathogenicity of the isolated pathogens was tested. The highly pathogenic strain (YV-St-033) was identified as Pseudomonas sp. by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In phylogenetic analysis, the YV-St-033 strain was grouped with P. mosselii, P. putita, P. fluorescens, P. entomophila, and P. lecoglossicida. The results of the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the YV-St-033 strain shared the highest sequence identity (more than 99%) with the P. mosselii R10 strain. The mungbean lines of Yeungnam University germplasm were screened against the YV-St-033 strain. Based on the growth rate of the sprouts after 3 days of inoculation with the pathogen, the YV148 line was highly resistant to the pathogen. The remaining lines were either partially or fully infected. The highly resistant line YV 148 is suitable for future breeding programs due to their thin sprouts and fast growing nature.