• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 1992

Degradation of structural carbohydrates has been observed in samples of sweet sorghum inoculated with either Clostridium cellulolyticum or Bacteroides succinogenes. However, conditions under which these rellulolytic organisms can compete effectively with lactic acid bacteria have not yet been determined. Degradation of cellulose by B. succinogenes was found not to be inhibited by either glucose or succinate.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.160-162
• /
• 2004

Rhodococcus sp. strain T104 is able to utilize both limonene and biphenyl as growth substrates. Fur-thermore, T104 possesses separate pathways for the degradation of limonene and biphenyl. Previously, we found that a gene(s) involved in limonene degradation was also related to indigo-producing ability. To further corroborate this observation, we have cloned and sequenced a 8,842-bp genomic DNA region with four open reading frames, including one for indole oxygenase, which converts indole to indigo (a blue pigment). The reverse transcription PCR data demonstrated that the identified indole oxygenase gene is specifically induced by limonene, thereby implicating this gene in the degradation of limonene by T104.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.95-102
• /
• 2016

In the recent years, noble nanoparticles have attracted and emerged in the field of biology, medicine and electronics due to their incredible applications. There were several methods have been used for synthesis of nanoparticles such as toxic chemicals and high energy physical procedures. To overcome these, biological method has been used for the synthesis of various metal nanoparticles. Among the nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have received much attention in various fields, such as antimicrobial activity, therapeutics, bio-molecular detection, silver nanocoated medical devices and optical receptor. Moreover, the biological approach, in particular the usage of natural organisms has offered a reliable, simple, nontoxic and environmental friendly method. Hence, the current article is focused on the biological synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their application in the biomedical field.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.343-350
• /
• 2008

The fate of two cyclic ethers, THF(Tetrahydrofuran) and 1,4-Dioxane, in conventional biological wastewater treatment plants was investigated using sequential activated sludge process. Removal efficiency of THF were about 86% in average, which was greater than that of 1,4-Dioxane, 30%. However, it was not clear whether the removal of cyclic ethers in biological system was caused by microbial activity or not. Thus treatability tests were conducted by batch experiments. The effects of mixing, aeration and the addition of activated sludge on the removal of cyclic ethers were investigated in batch experiments. THF was totally removed by mixing and aeration in 24 hours while removal ratio of 1,4-Dioxane was at most 30% for the same period. This results could be ascribed to the differences in Henry's law constants between the two chemicals. In addition, biological degradation including biosorption was not obviously observed in these batch tests.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.23 no.12
• /
• pp.1774-1778
• /
• 2013

Methylotrophs within biological activated carbon (BAC) systems have not received attention although they are a valuable biological resource for degradation of organic pollutants. In this study, methylotrophic populations were monitored for four consecutive seasons in BAC of an actual drinking water plant, using ribosomal tag pyrosequencing. Methylotrophs constituted up to 5.6% of the bacterial community, and the methanotrophs Methylosoma and Methylobacter were most abundant. Community comparison showed that the temperature was an important factor affecting community composition, since it had an impact on the growth of particular methylotrophic genera. These results demonstrated that BAC possesses a substantial methylotrophic activity and harbors the relevant microbes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.340-344
• /
• 2002

A gene, npl, encoding neopullulanase from Paenibacillus sp. KCTC 8848P was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. It consisted of an open reading frame of 1,530 bp for a protein that consisted of 510 amino acids with a molecular weight of 58,075 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of the neopullulanase gene had $92\%$ identity with the neopullulanase of Bacillus polymyxa. The npl gene was also expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae secreting Schwanniomyces occidentalis glucoamylase (GAM1) under the control of the yeast actin gene (ACT1) promoter. Secretion of the neopullulanase was directed by the yeast mating pheromone ${\alpha}$ -factor ($MF{\alpha}1$) prepro region. Enzyme assays confirmed that co-expression of npl and GAM1 enhanced starch and pullulan degradation by S. cerevisiae.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2003.10a
• /
• pp.320-323
• /
• 2003

The effects of pH on the binding of human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) expressed from transgenic plant cell suspensions to cationic and anionic exchange resins were investigated. In terms of stability, the optimum pH was found to be 5-7. In the case of using buffer exchange, when CM-sepharose was used as a cationic exchange resin, the best binding pH was 4.8 (77%) and when DEAE-sepharose was used as an anionic exchange resin, the best binding pH was 5.5 (74%). Without using buffer exchange, the optimum pH was 4.6 and the adsorption yield was 84%. From these results, a possibility of overcoming the degradation and instability of secreted protein product by in firm adsorption was found.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.20-25
• /
• 2015

TGF-${\beta}$ regulates pleiotropic cellular responses including cell growth, differentiation, migration, apoptosis, extracellular matrix production, and many other biological processes. Although non-Smad signaling pathways are being increasingly reported to play many roles in TGF-${\beta}$-mediated biological processes, Smads, especially receptor-regulated Smads (R-Smads), still play a central mediatory role in TGF-${\beta}$ signaling for epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Thus, the biological activities of R-Smads are tightly regulated at multiple points. Inhibitory Smad (I-Smad also called Smad7) acts as a critical endogenous negative feedback regulator of Smad-signaling pathways by inhibiting R-Smad phosphorylation and by inducing activated type I TGF-${\beta}$ receptor degradation. Roles played by Smad7 in health and disease are being increasingly reported, but the molecular mechanisms that regulate Smad7 are not well understood. In this study, we show that E3 ubiquitin ligase Itch acts as a positive regulator of TGF-${\beta}$ signaling and of subsequent EMT-related gene expression. Interestingly, the Itch-mediated positive regulation of TGF-${\beta}$ signaling was found to be dependent on Smad7 ubiquitination and its subsequent degradation. Further study revealed Itch acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for Smad7 polyubiquitination, and thus, that Itch is an important regulator of Smad7 activity and a positive regulator of TGF-${\beta}$ signaling and of TGF-${\beta}$-mediated biological processes. Accordingly, the study uncovers a novel regulatory mechanism whereby Smad7 is controlled by Itch.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.431-436
• /
• 2002

Effects of fertilizer additions for oil degradation were examined in sand seashore mesocosms. Within 37 days, up to $85\%$ removal was achieved by the addition of slow-release type fertilizer (SRF) with the initial degradation rate of 423.3 mg oil $(kg sand)^-1\;day^-1$. The removal was mostly of biological origin based on the changes of $C_17$ /pristane and $C_18$/phytane ratios from 2.60 to 0.81 and from 3.55 to 1.29, respectively. The addition of oleophilic fertilizer (Inipol EAP22) was less effective and resulted in the removal of $64\%$ of the added oil ($3\%$, v/v) with a lower initial degradation rate. Petroleum-degrading bacteria had achieved a value of $1{\times}10^8$ CFU $(g sand)^-1$ at Day 3 and this peak exactly coincided with the initial degradation in the SRF-treated mesocosm. In this mesocosm, surface tension values were decreased drastically during Days 3 and 8, suggesting that microbially-produced surface-active agents actively enhanced the oil degradation rate and cell proliferation. Although the Inipol-treated mesocosm appeared to show significantly enhanced oil degradation compared to that of the untreated control mesocosm, Inipol was found to be less effective than SRF in enhancing a true oil-degrader when compared under similar experimental conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.13-19
• /
• 2021

BACKGROUND: Chemicals such as antibiotics and surfactants can enter agricultural environment and they can be degraded by natural processes such as photolysis. These chemicals exist in mixtures in the environment, but studies on degradation of the mixtures are limited. This study compares the photodegradation of Triton X-100 (TX) and antibiotics [tetracycline (TC) and sulfathiazole (STH)] when they are in a single solution or in mixtures. METHODS AND RESULTS: TC, STH, and TX solutions were exposed to UV-A for the photodegradation tests for 14 days. The residual TC, STH, and TX concentrations were analyzed by using HPLC. The TC degradation was similar regardless of the presence of TX, while the TX degradation was lower in the presence of TC. The STH degradation was similar regardless of the presence of TX, while the TX degradation was greater in the presence of STH. However, the STH degradation was slower in the TC-STH-TX mixture than in the STH-TX mixture. Also, the TX degradation was negligible in the TC-STH-TX mixture. The results show that the photodegradation of TC, STH, and TX can be different in mixtures. This can be attributed to the different emission and absorption wavelengths of each compound and interaction between these compounds and photoproducts. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study emphasizes that photodegradation of single chemicals and chemical mixtures can be different, and more studies on single compounds as well as mixtures are required to understand the fate of chemicals in the environment in order to manage them properly.