• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.171-176
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• 2000

Bioremediation of hazardous hydrophobic organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is a major environmental concern due to their toxic and carcinogenic properties. Due to their hydrophobicity, the hydrophobic organic compounds are mainly associated with the soil organic matter or nonaqueous-phase liquids. A major question concerns the relationships between biodegradation and sorption. This work develops and utilizes a non- steady state model for evaluating the interactions between sorption and biodegradation of phenanthrene, a 3-ring PAH compound, in soil-slurry systems. The model includes sorption/desorption of a target compound, its utilization by microorganisms as a primary substrate existing in the dissolved phase and/or the sorbed phase in biomass and soil, oxygen transfer, and oxygen utilization as an electron acceptor. Biodegradation tests with phenanthrene were conducted in liquid and soil-slurry systems. The soil-slurry tests were performed with very different mass transfer rate: fast mass transfer in a flask test at 150 rpm, and slow mass transfer in a roller-bottle test at 2 rpm. In the slurry tests, phenanthrene was degraded more rapidly than in liquid tests, but with a similar rate in both slurry systems. Modeling analyses with several hypotheses indicate that a model without biodegradation of compound sorbed to the soil was not able to account for the rapid degradation of phenanthrene, particularly in the roller bottle slurry test. Reduced mass-transfer resistance to bacteria attached to the soil is the most likely phenomenon accounting for rapid sorbed-phase biodegradation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.111-114
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• 2000

Streptomyces are widespread in nature and play a very important role in the biosynthesis as well as biodegradation of natural and unnatural aromatic compounds. Both qualitatively and quantitatively through TLC and UV spectrophotometric assays, it was observed that the thermophilic soil bacteria S. setonii (ATCC 39116), which can utilize a benzoate as a sole carbon and energy source in a minimal liquid culture, was not very sensitive to the benzoate concentation and to the culture conditions such as the pH and temperature. The in vitro conversion of a catechol to a cis, cis-muconic acid by a crude S. setonii lysate implies that the aromatic ring cleavage by S. setonii is initiated by a thermostable catechol-1,2-dioxygenase, the key enzyme in the ortho-cleavage pathway of aromatic compound biodegradation. Unlike non-degrading S. lividans, S.setonii was also highly resistant to other similar hazardous aromatic compounds, exhibiting almost no adverse effect on its growth in a complex liquid culture.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.45-60
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• 1989

리그닌 생분해의 분해경로 및 매카니즘에 관한 연구가 최근 Kirk와 Higuchi 등에 의하여 활발히 연구되고 있다. 특히, Phanerochaete chrysosporium이 생산해내는 Lignlnase를 이용하여 매우 가치있는 연구 결과를 얻고 있다. 본 총설에서는 Kirk와 Higuchi의 허가를 얻어서 그들의 논문을 중심으로 리그닌의 중요한 결합 양식 별로 즉, ${\beta}$-O-4, ${\beta}$-5, ${\beta}$-1, ${\beta}$-6, 5-5 등의 결합 모델 화합물들의 분해경로 및 매카니즘에 관하여 조사 정리하였다.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.632-640
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• 2006

In this study, the biodegradative activities of monocyclic aromatic compounds were determined from the multi-drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii, which were studied in the form of clinical isolates from a hospital in Korea. These bacteria were capable of biodegrading monocyclic aromatic compounds, such as benzoate and p-hydroxybenzoate. In order to determine which pathways are available for biodegradation in these stains, we conducted proteome analyses of benzoate, and p-hydroxybenzoate-cultured A. baumannii DU202, using 2-DE/MS analysis. As genome DB of A. baumannii was not yet available, MS/MS analysis or de novo sequencing methods were employed in the identification of induced proteins. Benzoate branch enzymes [catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (CatA) and benzoate dioxygenase $\alpha$ subunit (BenA)] of the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway were identified under benzoate culture condition and p-hydroxybenzoate branch enzymes [protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenas $\alpha$ subunit (PcaG) and 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate cycloisomerase (PcaR)] of the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway were identified under p-hydroxybenzoate culture condition, respectively, thereby suggesting that strain DU202 utilized the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway for the biodegradation of monocyclic aromatic compounds. The sequence analysis of two purified dioxygenases (CatA and PcaGH) indicated that CatA is closely associated with the CatA of Acinetobacter radiresistance, but PcaGH is only moderately associated with the PcaGH of Acinetobacter sp. ADPI. Interestingly, the fused form of PcaD and PcaC, carboxymuconolactone decarboxylase (PcaCD), was detected on benzoate-cultured A. baumannii DU202. These results indicate that A. baumannii DU202 exploits a different $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway from other Acinetobacter species.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.222-228
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• 2010

Biological degradation of nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds was investigated in activated sludge previously adapted to mineralize low concentrations of nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds. Normally, the time required for 95% degradation of 10 mg/l dinitrophenol (DNP) under aerobic conditions was less than 4 hours without any lag, and with mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) levels from 600 to 1,000 mg/l. However, when the initial DNP concentration was increased to 75 mg/l, lags and even complete inhibition of DNP degradation were observed. The length of the lag was found to increase proportionally with decreasing MLSS levels. When dilute activated sludge was incubated for extended periods (192 hours), degradation of 75 mg/l DNP did eventually occur after lag periods of 37 to 144 hours, depending on the MLSS concentration. DNP was degradable in high concentrations if MLSS concentrations were sufficiently high to allow growth of bacteria resistant to the toxic effects of DNP.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.330-337
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• 2018

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including naphthalene, are widely distributed in nature. Naphthalene has been regarded as a model PAH compound for investigating the mechanisms of bacterial PAH biodegradation. Pseudomonas sp. AS1 isolated from an arseniccontaminated site is capable of growing on various aromatic compounds such as naphthalene, salicylate, and catechol, but not on gentisate. The genome of strain AS1 consists of a 6,126,864 bp circular chromosome and the 81,841 bp circular plasmid pAS1. Pseudomonas sp. AS1 has multiple dioxygenases and related enzymes involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds, which might contribute to the metabolic versatility of this isolate. The pAS1 plasmid exhibits extremely high similarity in size and sequences to the well-known naphthalene-degrading plasmid pDTG1 in Pseudomonas putida strain NCIB 9816-4. Two gene clusters involved in the naphthalene degradation pathway were identified on pAS1. The expression of several nah genes on the plasmid was upregulated by more than 2-fold when naphthalene was used as a sole carbon source. Strains have been isolated at different times and places with different characteristics, but similar genes involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds have been identified on their plasmids, which suggests that the transmissibility of the plasmids might play an important role in the adaptation of the microorganisms to mineralize the compounds.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.89-91
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• 2000

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are highly carcinogenic chemicals and common groundwater contaminants that are observed to persist in soils. The adherence and slow release of PAHs in soil is an obstacle to remediation and complicates the assessment of cleanup standards and risks. Biological degradation of PAHs in soil has been an area of active research because biological treatment may be less costly than conventional pumping technologies or excavation and thermal treatment. Biological degradation also offers the advantage to transform PAHs into non-toxic products such as biomass and carbon dioxide. Ample evidence exists for aerobic biodegradation of PAHs and many bacteria capable of degrading PAHs have been isolated and characterized. However, the microbial degradation of PAHs in sediments is impaired due to the anaerobic conditions that result from the typically high oxygen demand of the organic material present in the soil, the low solubility of oxygen in water, and the slow mass transfer of oxygen from overlying water to the soil environment. For these reasons, anaerobic microbial degradation technologies could help alleviate sediment PAH contamination and offer significant advantages for cost-efficient in-situ treatment. But very little is known about the potential for anaerobic degradation of PAHs in field soils. The objectives of this research were to assess: (1) the potential for biodegradation of PAH in field aged soils under denitrification conditions, (2) to assess the potential for biodegradation of naphthalene in soil microcosms under denitrifying conditions, and (3) to assess for the existence of microorganisms in field sediments capable of degrading naphthalene via denitrification. Two kinds of soils were used in this research: Harbor Point sediment (HPS-2) and Milwaukee Harbor sediment (MHS). Results presented in this seminar indicate possible degradation of PAHs in soil under denitrifying conditions. During the two months of anaerobic degradation, total PAH removal was modest probably due to both the low availability of the PAHs and competition with other more easily degradable sources of carbon in the sediments. For both Harbor Point sediment (HPS-2) and Milwaukee Harbor sediment (MHS), PAH reduction was confined to 3- and 4-ring PAHs. Comparing PAH reductions during two months of aerobic and anaerobic biotreatment of MHS, it was found that extent of PAHreduction for anaerobic treatment was compatible with that for aerobic treatment. Interestingly, removal of PAHs from sediment particle classes (by size and density) followed similar trends for aerobic and anaerobic treatment of MHS. The majority of the PAHs removed during biotreatment came from the clay/silt fraction. In an earlier study it was shown that PAHs associated with the clay/silt fraction in MHS were more available than PAHs associated with coal-derived fraction. Therefore, although total PAH reductions were small, the removal of PAHs from the more easily available sediment fraction (clay/silt) may result in a significant environmental benefit owing to a reduction in total PAH bioavailability. By using naphthalene as a model PAH compound, biodegradation of naphthalene under denitrifying condition was assessed in microcosms containing MHS. Naphthalene spiked into MHS was degraded below detection limit within 20 days with the accompanying reduction of nitrate. With repeated addition of naphthalene and nitrate, naphthalene degradation under nitrate reducing conditions was stable over one month. Nitrite, one of the intermediates of denitrification was detected during the incubation. Also the denitrification activity of the enrichment culture from MHS slurries was verified by monitoring the production of nitrogen gas in solid fluorescence denitrification medium. Microorganisms capable of degrading naphthalene via denitrification were isolated from this enrichment culture.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.374-377
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• 2000

A strain of Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 154 was isolated from contaminated soil with orangic solvents as the sole source of carbon and energy. It utilized an exceptionally wide aromatic substrates. The strain BCNU 154 was able to utilize toluene, p-xylene, ethylbenzene, cumene, as the only carbon and energy source. When toluene or p-xylene was used as the sole carbon and energy source, the compound was rapidly degraded with significant increase in biomass concentruction. The biodegradation of this compound was observed when ethylbenzene or cumene was supplied on the carbon source and energy source, which may be a candidate extremophilic bacterium for the bioremediation technology.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.118-119
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• 2001

A Southern-hybridization analysis and size-selected DNA library screening led to the isolation of a 6.3-kbp S. setonii DNA fragment, from which the Cl20-encoding genetic locus was found to be located within a 1.4-kbp DNA fragment. A complete nucleotide sequencing analysis of the 1.4-kbp DNA fragment revealed a 0.84-kbp ORF, which showed a strong overall amino acid similarity to the known high－G＋C gram-positive bacterial mesophilic C120s. The heterologous expression of the cloned 1.4-kbp DNA fragment in E. coli demonstrated that this Cl20 possessed a thermophilic activity within a broad temperature range and showed a higher activity against 3-methy1catechol than catechol or 4-methy-catechol, but no activity against protocatecuate.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2007

As a model compound of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) phenanthrene has been regarded as a toxic material, mutagen and carcinogen in various animals. Biodegradation conditions of phenanthrene such as pH, temperature, shaking speed, stabilizer and cofactor of degrading enzymes were investigated with Trametes versicolor and its transformant T. versicolor MrP1 in YMG medium, minimal medium and soil microcosm. T. versicolor MrP1 can overexpress mrp gene encoding Mn-repressed peroxidase that is involved in fungal degradation. Biodegradations of phenanthrene by T. versicolor and T. versicolor MrP1 were optimally performed in conditions of weak-acid (pH 6.0), $30^{\circ}C$, shaken culture and medium containing 5 mM veratryl alcohol or tryptophan. In these optimal conditions, biodegradation of phenanthrene by T. versicolor MrP1 is 31% higher than that of wild type strain in a minimal medium for 20 days. Biodegradation of phenanthrene by T. versicolor MrP1 was also higher than that of wild type in soil microcosm. T. versicolor MrP1 can be a excellent candidate for the bioremediation of PAHs contaminated environments.