• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.170-175
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• 2022

3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3HP) is a platform chemical and can be converted into other valuable C3-based chemicals. Because a large amount of glycerol is produced as a by-product in the biodiesel industry, glycerol is an attractive carbon source in the biological production of 3HP. Although eight 3HP-producing aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) have been reported so far, the low conversion rate from 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3HPA) to 3HP using these enzymes is still a bottleneck for the production of 3HP. In this study, we elucidated the substrate binding modes of the eight 3HP-producing ALDHs through bioinformatic and structural analysis of these enzymes and selected protein engineering targets for developing enzymes with enhanced enzymatic activity against 3HPA. Among ten AbKGSADH variants we tested, three variants with replacement at the Arg281 site of AbKGSADH showed enhanced enzymatic activities. In particular, the AbKGSADH^R281Y variant exhibited improved catalytic efficiency by 2.5-fold compared with the wild type.

• Mycobiology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2005

Pot greenhouse experiments were carried out to attempt to increase the salinity tolerance of one of the most popular legume of the world; cowpea; by using dual inoculation of an Am fungus Glomus clarum and a nitrogen-fixer Azospirillum brasilense. The effect of these beneficial microbes, as single- or dual inoculation-treatments, was assessed in sterilized loamy sand soil at five NaCl levels ($0.0{\sim}7.\;2ds/m$) in irrigating water. The results of this study revealed that percentage of mycorrhizal infection, plant height, dry weight, nodule number, protein content, nitrogenase and phosphatase activities, as well as nutrient elements N, P, K, Ca, Mg were significantly decreased by increasing salinity level in non-mycorrhized plants in absence of NFB. Plants inoculated with NFB showed higher nodule numbers, protein content, nitrogen concentration and nitrogenase activities than those of non-inoculated at all salinity levels. Mycorrhized plants exhibited better improvement in all measurements than that of non-mycorrhized ones at all salinity levels, especially, in the presence of NFB. The concentration of $Na^+$ was significantly accumulated in cowpea plants by rising salinity except in shoots of mycorrhizal plants which had $K^+/Na^+$ ratios higher than other treatments. This study indicated that dual inoculation with Am fungi and N-fixer Azospirillum can support both needs for N and P, excess of NaCl and will be useful in terms of soil recovery in saline area.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.261-271
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• 2007

Phytoremediation is an economic and environmentally friendly technique to remediate contaminated-soil. In this study, the effects of plants, rhizobacteria and physicochemical factors on phytoremediation have been reviewed. For successful phytoremediation, the selection of plants is primarily important. To remediate soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbon, raygrass (Lolium multiflorum lam), white mustard, vetch (Vicia villosa), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), legumes, poplar, and Pine (Pinus densiflora) were mainly applied, and the removal efficiency of petroleum hydrocarbon were ranged 68 to 99%. Corn (Zea mays), raygrass (Lolium multiflorum lam), vetch (Vicia villosa), mustard, clover (Trifolium repens), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) were used for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and their removal efficiencies were 50-98%. Rhizobacteria play significant roles for phytoremediation because they can directly participate in the degradation of contaminant as well as promoting plants growth. The following rhizobacteria were preferred for phytoremediation: Azospirillum lipoferum, Enterobactor cloacae, Azospirillum brasilense, Pseudomonas putida, Burkholderia xenovorans, Comamonas testosterone, Pseudomonas gladioli, Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus subtilis. Pysicochemical factors such as pH, temperature, nutrient, electron acceptor, water content, organic content, type of contaminants are consequential limiting factors for phytoremediation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2004

Six strains of an obligate predatory bdellovibrio isolate that preys on Burkholderia glumae in rice paddy field water and rhizosphere soil, were identified and characterized. The numbers of Bdellovibrio cells varied from $3.2{\times}10^3$ to $9.2{\times}10^3$ plaque-forming unit/g after enrichment in cells of B. glumae. Prey range tests with six Bdellovibrio strains and 17 prey strains of rice-pathogenic, antibiosis-related, or nitrogen-fixing bacteria resulted in unique predation patterns in related prey cells. Strain BG282 had the widest prey range on 7 plant pathogenic bacteria among the 17 prey strains tested. However, no predation occurred with strains of Azospirillum brasilense, Paenibacillus polymyxa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. putida, and Serratia marcescens that are associated with antibiosis or nitrogen fixation in the rice ecosystem. Identification was confirmed by the presence of typical bdelloplast in the prey cells of B. glumae and by a PCR assay using B. bacteriovorus-specific primers. Furthermore, 16S rDNA sequencing of the six bdellovibrio strains showed a homology range of 97.2% to 99.2% to the type strain of B. bacteriovorus.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.165-169
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• 2009

A field experiment to evaluate the effect of application of different organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of leaf was studied during 2004-05 has showed that, the application of 10 kg each of Azospirillum brasilense and Aspergillus awamori+20% each of recommended N through compost+green manure (Glyricidia maculata)+castor cake+vermicompost+Urea and remaining P and K through fertilizers ($T_{11}$) has recorded significantly higher leaf yield (250 g/ plant and 34.70 tonnes/ha/yr, respectively) with improvement in growth characters as compared to control. Leaf quality status was also improved in terms of N (3.19%), P (1.97%), K (1.28%), total soluble protein (8.39 mg/ml), total soluble sugars (14.40 mg/ml), secondary nutrients viz., Ca (3.00%), Mg (0.60%), S (0.35%) and micronutrients viz., Cu (0.410 ppm), Mn (0.454 ppm) and Zn (0.112 ppm) contents. The mulberry grown with 20 tonnes of compost+300:120:120 Kg of NPK/ha/year through fertilizer ranked second for growth and foliar constituents.