• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1665-1671
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• 2009

Anaerobic digestion sludge was cultivated in an electrochemical bioreactor (ECB) to enrich the hydrogenotrophic methanogens. A modified graphite felt cathode with neutral red (NR-cathode) was charged with electrochemical reducing power generated from a solar cell. The methane and carbon dioxide collected in a Teflon bag from the ECB were more than 80 ml/l of reactant/day and less than 20 ml/l of reactant/day, respectively, whereas the methane and carbon dioxide collected from a conventional bioreactor (CB) was around 40 ml/l of reactant/day, respectively. Moreover, the maximal volume ratios of methane to carbon dioxide (M/C ratio) collected in the Teflon bag from the ECB and CB were 7 and 1, respectively. The most predominant methanogens isolated from the CB on the $20^{th}$, $80^{th}$, and $150^{th}$ days of incubation were hydrogenotrophs. The methanogenic diversity analyzed by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) of the 16S rDNA variable region was higher in the ECB than in the CB. The DNA extracted from the TGGE bands was more than 95% homologous with hydrogenotrophic methanogens in the ECB, but was an aceticlastic methanogen in the CB. In conclusion, the ECB was demonstrated as a useful system for enriching hydrogenotrophic methanogens and increasing the M/C ratio of the gas product.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1226-1231
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• 2014

The rare actinomycete Pseudonocardia autotrophica was previously shown to produce a solubility-improved toxicity-reduced novel polyene compound named $\underline{N}ystatin$-like $\underline{P}seudonocardia$ $\underline{P}olyene$ (NPP). The low productivity of NPP in P. autotrophica implies that its biosynthetic pathway is tightly regulated. In this study, $wblA_{pau}$ was isolated and identified as a novel negative regulatory gene for NPP production in P. autotrophica, which showed approximately 49% amino acid identity with a global antibiotic down-regulatory gene, wblA, identified from various Streptomycetes species. Although no significant difference in NPP production was observed between P. autotrophica harboring empty vector and the S. coelicolor wblA under its native promoter, approximately 12% less NPP was produced in P. autotrophica expressing the wblA gene under the strong constitutive $ermE^*$ promoter. Furthermore, disruption of the $wblA_{pau}$ gene from P. autotrophica resulted in an approximately 80% increase in NPP productivity. These results strongly suggest that identification and inactivation of the global antibiotic down-regulatory gene wblA ortholog are a critical strategy for improving secondary metabolite overproduction in not only Streptomyces but also non-Streptomyces rare actinomycete species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.869-872
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• 2009

The cyclic undecapeptide cyclosporin A (CyA), one of the most valuable immunosuppressive drugs, is produced nonribosomally by a multifunctional cyclosporin synthetase enzyme complex by the filamentous fungus Tolypocladium niveum. To increase CyA productivity by wild-type T. niveum (ATCC 34921), random mutagenesis was first performed using an antifungal agar-plug colony assay (APCA) selection approach. This generated a mutant strain producing more than 9-fold greater CyA than the wild-type strain. Additionally, a foreign bacterial gene, Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene (VHb), was transformed via protoplast regeneration and its transcription was confirmed by RT-PCR in the UV-irradiated mutant cell. This led to an additional 33.5% increase of CyA production. Although most protoplast-regenerated T. niveum transformants tend to lose CyA productivity, the optimized combination of random mutagenesis and protoplast transformation described here should be an efficient strategy to generate a commercially valuable, yet metabolite low-producing, fungal species, such as CyA-producing T. niveum.

• Journal of Institute of Convergence Technology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.51-54
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• 2014

Energy storage not only reduces the mismatch between supply and demand but also improves the performance and reliability of energy systems. The different forms of energy that can be stored, including mechanical, electrical and thermal energy. Phase change materials (PCM) are latent heat storage materials. A large number of phase change materials (organic, inorganic and eutectic) are available in any required temperature range. We concentrated on eutectic materials and made a eutectic by mixing urea and choline chloride. Heat capacity ($C_p$) is one of the most important properties to be considered when a process is developed using the eutectic and currently DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) has been proved as an effective technique to measure the heat capacity. This study focused on measuring heat capacity ($C_p$) of the mixing urea and choline chloride by DSC.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.77-87
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• 2006

Micro- or nano-size particles are required to improve the combustion efficiency and stability in the case of solid explosives and propellants. The micro-structural properties of an energetic material strongly influence the combustion and explosion behavior. However, the traditional size reduction techniques, including milling, are not suitable for production of ultra-fine size particles. As an alternative to the traditional techniques, various re-crystallization processes based on supercritical fluids have recently been proposed. Supercritical fluids are fluids at temperatures and pressures above their critical point. In principle, they do not give problems of solvent contamination as they are completely released from the solute when the decompression occurs. Rapid Expansion Supercritical Solutions(RESS) and Supercritical Anti-Solvent Process(GAS/SAS) are representatives of a nano-size particle formation process of energetic materials using supercritical fluids. In this work, various fine particle formation processes using supercritical fluids are discussed and the results are presented.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.745-750
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• 2003

Zoogloea ramigera produces an extracellular polysaccharide called zooglan, which adsorbs heavy metals. In the current study, Zoogloea ramigera was cultured in media containing various carbon sources. When different carbon sources were included in the cultivation medium, there was a change in the composition of zooglan that is mainly composed of glucose, galactose, and pyruvic acid. The various zooglan compositions were analyzed by HPLC, and changes in the heavy metal (lead (II) and cadmium) adsorption characteristics relative to a change in the composition were examined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. A high adsorption capacity was observed at a pH higher than 3.0. The adsorption of metal ions was the highest at $35^{\circ}C$, and a higher adsorption was obtained with a lower flow rate. Changes in the zooglan composition did result in changes in the heavy metal adsorption characteristics. Furthermore, it was also found that the pyruvic acid content was more important than the glucose or galactose content for heavy metal adsorption.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.352-355
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• 1987

The isolation and characterization of type II restriction endonuclease from Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 were described. This enzyme (Cth I endonuclease) is an isoschizomer of Bcl I endonuclease recognizing 5'-TGATCA-3'. Cth I endonuclease requires MG$^{2+}$ ion for its activity and is maximally active at PH 1.5 to 10.5 in the Presence of 0 to 10mM NaCl. Cth I endonuclease is heat stable and has an optimum temperature of 6$0^{\circ}C$. The activity of Cth I enzyme is sensitive to dam methylation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1471-1477
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• 2012

Carotenoids produced by non-photosynthetic bacteria protect organisms against lethal photodynamic reactions and scavenge oxygenic radicals. However, the carotenoid produced by Gordonia alkanivorans SKF120101 is coupled to reducing power generation. SKF120101 selectively produces carotenoid under light conditions. The growth yield of SKF120101 cultivated under light conditions was higher than that under dark condition. In the cyclic voltammetry, both upper and lower voltammograms for neutral red (NR) immobilized in intact cells of SKF120101 were not shifted in the condition without external redox sources but were commonly shifted downward by glucose addition and light. Electric current generation in a biofuel cell system (BFCS) catalyzed by harvested cells of SKF120101 was higher under light than dark condition. The ratio of electricity generation to glucose consumption by SKF120101 cultivated in BFCS was higher under light than dark condition. The carotenoid produced by SKF120101 catalyzes production of reducing power from light energy, first evaluated by the electrochemical technique used in this research.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.666-674
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• 2009

An electrochemical bioreactor (ECB) composed of a cathode compartment and an air anode was used in this study to characterize the ethanol fermentation of Zymomonas mobilis. The cathode and air anode were constructed of modified graphite felt with neutral red (NR) and a modified porous carbon plate with cellulose acetate and porous ceramic membrane, respectively. The air anode operates as a catalyst to generate protons and electrons from water. The growth and ethanol production of Z. mobilis were 50% higher in the ECB than were observed under anoxic nitrogen conditions. Ethanol production by growing cells and the crude enzyme of Z. mobilis were significantly lower under aerobic conditions than under other conditions. The growing cells and crude enzyme of Z. mobilis did not catalyze ethanol production from pyruvate and acetaldehyde. The membrane fraction of crude enzyme catalyzed ethanol production from glucose, but the soluble fraction did not. NADH was oxidized to $NAD^+$in association with $H_2O_2$reduction, via the catalysis of crude enzyme. Our results suggested that NADH/$NAD^+$balance may be a critical factor for ethanol production from glucose in the metabolism of Z. mobilis, and that the metabolic activity of both growing cells and crude enzyme for ethanol fermentation may be induced in the presence of glucose.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1438-1444
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• 2014

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are probiotics that provide numerous beneficial effects on the host body, especially on the intestine. Combining several strains of LAB, we prepared a formulation containing four different LAB and studied its anti-inflammatory activity both in vitro and in vivo. The formulation significantly reduced NO production from RAW 264.7 cells treated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide, indicating that the formulation might include anti-inflammatory activity. The formulation also suppressed inflammatory change induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) in mice, where oral or rectal administration of the formulation protected the colon tissue from the damage by TNBS. Expressions of the IL-6 and FasL genes appeared to be down-regulated by the formulation in TNBS-treated colon tissues, suggesting that the suppression of those genes may be involved in the anti-inflammatory activity of the formulation.