• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.541-546
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• 2012

The biodegradation of phenol in laboratory-contaminated soil was investigated using the Gram-positive soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum. This study showed that the phenol degradation caused by C. glutamicum was greatly enhanced by the addition of 1% yeast extract. From the toxicity test using Daphnia magna, the soil did not exhibit any hazardous effects after the phenol was removed using C. glutamicum. Additionally, the treatment of the phenol-contaminated soils with C. glutamicum increased various soil amino acid compositions, such as glycine, threonine, isoleucine, alanine, valine, leucine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. This phenomenon induced an increase in the seed germination rate and the root elongation of Avena sativa (oat). This probably reflects that increased soil amino acid composition due to C. glutamicum treatment strengthens the plant roots. Therefore, the phenol-contaminated soil was effectively converted through increased soil amino acid composition, and additionally, the phenol in the soil environment was biodegraded by C. glutamicum.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.349-361
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• 2010

In this review, the current knowledge of the carbon metabolism and global carbon regulation in Corynebacterium glutamicum are summarized. C. gluamicum has phosphotransferase system (PTS) for the utilization of sucrose, glucose, and fructose. C. glutamicum does not show any preference for glucose when various sugars or organic acids are present with glucose, and thus cometabolizes glucose with other sugars or organic acids. The molecular mechanism of global carbon regulation such as carbon catabolite repression (CCR) in C. glutamicum is quite different to that in Gram-negative or low-GC Gram-positive bacteria. GlxR (glyoxylate bypass regulator) in C. glutamicum is the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) homologue of E. coli. GlxR has been reported to regulate genes involved in not only glyoxylate bypass, but also central carbon metabolism and CCR including glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Therefore, GlxR has been suggested as a global transcriptional regulator for the regulation of diverse physiological processes as well as carbon metabolism. Adenylate cyclase of C. glutamicum is a membrane protein belonging to class III adenylate cyclases, thus it could possibly be a sensor for some external signal, thereby modulating cAMP level in response to environmental stimuli. In addition to GlxR, three additional transcriptional regulators like RamB, RamA, and SugR are also involved in regulating the expression of many genes of carbon metabolism. Finally, recent approaches for constructing new pathways for the utilization of new carbon sources, and strategies for enhancing amino acid production through genetic modification of carbon metabolism or regulatory network are described.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.271-275
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• 2017

The expression of Deinococcus radiodurans dr1558 and pprM genes was examined for enhanced lysine production in recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum. These genes are known to confer high tolerance to pH and osmotic shock in Escherichia coli. D. radiodurans dr1558 and pprM genes were expressed in C. glutamicum by using 6 synthetic promoters of different strengths, to evaluate the effect of expression efficiency on lysine production. Recombinant C. glutamicum expressing DR1558 under the L26 and I64 promoters showed higher lysine production than that expressing DR1558 under other promoters. Similarly, recombinant C. glutamicum expressing PprM under same promoters (L26 and I64) showed a higher increase in lysine production compared to that expressing PprM under other promoters. In the absence of $CaCO_3$ in the medium, the expression of DR1558 or PprM also increased lysine concentration in C. glutamicum depending on the promoter used. Together, these results suggest that genes involved in radiation tolerance in D. radiodurans can be used to enhance production of amino acids and their derivatives.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.78-86
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• 2019

Recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum producing N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) was constructed by metabolic engineering. To construct a basal strain producing GlcNAc, the genes nagA, nagB, and nanE encoding N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase, glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase, and N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate epimerase, respectively, were sequentially deleted from C. glutamicum ATCC 13032, yielding strain KG208. In addition, the genes glmS and gna1 encoding glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase and glucosamine-6-phosphate N-acetyltransferase, which originated from C. glutamicum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively, were expressed in several expression vectors. Among several combinations of glmS and gna1 expression, recombinant cells expressing glmS and gna1 under control of the ilvC promoter produced 1.77 g/l of GlcNAc and 0.63 g/l of glucosamine in flask cultures.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.174-179
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• 1991

Protoplast fusion was carried out between Brevibacterium flavum and Corynebacterium glutamicum. For the protoplast fusion, various mutants were isolated from Brevibacterium flavum ATCC 21493 and Corynebacteriurn glutamicum ATCC 21831. The optimum conditions for protoplast fusion of these mutants were examined. In the present work, the authors obtained a fusant, MWF 9031, by the intergeneric protoplast fusion between Brevibacterium flavum 108-125 and Corynebacterium glutamicum 41-214A, which was excellent in L-arginine fermentation. Fusant MWF 9031 was found to accumulate a large amount of L-arginine reached 32.5 mg/ml with a medium containing 10% glucose. The fusant possessed intermediate characteristics between the parental strains and the stability was found to retain for 60 days.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 1990

Microbial production of L-phenylalanine using Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 21674, a tyrosine auxotroph resistant to aromatic amino acid analogues, has been studied and kinetic analysis was performed. Even though the strain was reported as a tyrosine auxotroph, it produced tyrosine and was able to grow on the minimal medium where no tyrosine was present. The average specific growth rate at the exponential growth phase was 0.087 hr-1. There was a dissociation of growth from the formation of the product. Linear correlation between biomass production and total CO2 production was obtained. The relationship between CO2 evolution rate and sugar consumption rate was also found to be linear.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.435-437
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• 1997

The role of $Ca^{2+}$ in making functional malate synthase in Corynebacterium glutamicum was investigated using the cloned DNA coding for the enzyme. Introduction of cloned aceB into C. glutamicum overexpressed malate synthase as judged by SDS-PAGE. However, the increase in enzyme activity of the expressed malate synthase did not match the level of overexpression observed in SDS-PAGE. Addition of $Ca^{2+}$ to the growth medium specifically increased the activity. The malate synthase could be stained with ruthenium red in a $Ca^{2+}$-specific manner. This agrees with the previous observation which reported a potential $Ca^{2+}$-binding domain in the N-terminal region of the protein.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 2007

In order to utilize different nitrogen sources and to survive in a situation of nitrogen limitation, microorganisms have developed sophisticated mechanisms to adapt their metabolism to a changing nitrogen supply. In this communication, the recent knowledge of nitrogen regulation in the amino acid producer Corynebacterium glutamicum is summarized. The core adaptations of C. glutamicum to nitrogen limitation on the level of transcription are controlled by the global regulator AmtR. Further components of the signal pathway are GlnK, a $P_{II}-type$ signal transduction protein, and GlnD. Mechanisms involved in nitrogen control in C. glutamicum regulating gene expression and protein activity are repression of transcription, protein-complex formation, protein modification by adenylylation, change of intracellular localization, and proteolysis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.294-301
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• 2001

The effects of including glycine and isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH) in the growth medium (Luria broth, LBG) on the subsequent lysozyme-imduced protoplast formation and transformation efficiency of Corynebacterium glutamicum were studied. The transformation efficiency of C. glutamicum AS019 increased up to 100-fold as the ocncentrationof glycine in the media increased from 0% to 5% (w/v), relative to cells grown in the absence of glycine. The presence of 5 mg/ml INH in the growth medium led to a further 10-fold increase in transformation efficiency. In addition, this transformation protocol was successfully applied to other strains of C. glutamicum. Both chemicals affected the mycolic acid attachment to the cell surface of C. glutamicum, when INH, the relative percentage of fatty acids of AS019 to the total lipids (mycolic acid plus fatty acids) decreased from 76.9% (in LBG) to 72.9% (in LBG-2% glycine) and 66.4% (in LBG-8 mg InG/ml), thereby suggeting that these chemicals also inhibit fatty acid synthesis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1404-1408
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• 2016

In recent years, foot-and-mouth disease has occurred in all parts of the world. The animals with the disease are buried in the ground; therefore, their concentration could affect ground or groundwater. Moreover, the complete degradation of carcasses is not a certainty, and their disposal is important to prevent humans, livestock, and the environment from being affected with the disease. The treatment of Corynebacterium glutamicum is a feasible method to reduce the risk of carcass decomposition affecting humans or the environment. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of C. glutamicum on the soil environment with a carcass. The composition of amino acids in the soil treated with C. glutamicum was generally higher than those in the untreated soil. Moreover, the plant root in the soil samples treated with C. glutamicum had 84.0% amino acids relative to the standard value and was similar to that of the control. The results of this study suggest the possibility to reduce the toxicity of a grave land containing animals with this disease.