• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.67-79
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• 2016

Cyanotoxins in aquatic ecosystems have been investigated by many researchers worldwide. Cyanotoxins can be classified according to toxicity as neurotoxins (anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), saxitoxins) or hepatotoxins (microcystins, nodularin, cylindrospermopsin). Microcystins are generally present within cyanobacterial cells and are released by damage to the cell membrane. Cyanotoxins have been reported to cause adverse effects and to accumulate in aquatic organisms in lakes, rivers and oceans. Possible pathways of microcystins in Lake Suwa, Japan, have been investigated from five perspectives: production, adsorption, physiochemical decomposition, bioaccumulation and biodegradation. In this study, temporal variability in microcystins in Lake Suwa were investigated over 25 years (1991~2015). In nature, microcystins are removed by biodegradation of microorganisms and/or feeding of predators. However, during water treatment, the use of copper sulfate to remove algal cells causes extraction of a mess of microcystins. Cyanotoxins are removed by physical, chemical and biological methods, and the reduction of nutrients inflow is a basic method to prevent cyanobacterial bloom formation. However, this method is not effective for eutrophic lakes because nutrients are already present. The presence of a cyanotoxins can be a potential threat and therefore must be considered during water treatment. A complete understanding of the mechanism of cyanotoxins degradation in the ecosystem requires more intensive study, including a quantitative enumeration of cyanotoxin degrading microbes. This should be done in conjunction with an investigation of the microbial ecological mechanism of cyanobacteria degradation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.680-692
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• 2010

This paper gives an overview of the availability, nutritive quality, and possible strategies to improve the utilization of rice straw as a feed ingredient for ruminants. Approximately 80% of the rice in the world is grown by small-scale farmers in developing countries, including South East Asia. The large amount of rice straw as a by-product of the rice production is mainly used as a source of feed for ruminant livestock. Rice straw is rich in polysaccharides and has a high lignin and silica content, limiting voluntary intake and reducing degradability by ruminal microorganisms. Several methods to improve the utilization of rice straw by ruminants have been investigated in the past. However, some physical treatments are not practical because of the requirement for machinery or treatments are not economical feasible for the farmers. Chemical treatments, such as NaOH, $NH_3$ or urea, currently seem to be more practical for onfarm use. Alternative treatments to improve the nutritive value of rice straw are the use of ligninolytic fungi (white-rot fungi), with their extracellular ligninolytic enzymes, or specific enzymes degrading cellulose and/or hemicellulose. The use of fungi or enzyme treatments is expected to be a more practical and environmental-friendly approach for enhancing the nutritive value of rice straw and can be costeffective in the future. Using fungi and enzymes might be combined with the more classical chemical or physical treatments. However, available data on using fungi and enzymes for improving the quality of rice straw are relatively scarce.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.389-393
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate the biodegradation characteristics of the xylene by BTEX-degrading bacteria, Pseudomonas putida BJ10, isolated from oil-contaminated soil and bio-degradation pathway of the xylene. The removal efficiencies of o, m, p-xylene in mineral salts medium (MSM) by P. putida BJ10 were 94, 90 and 98%, respectively for 24 hours. It shows clear difference compared with the control groups which were below 3%. The removal efficiencies of BTEX by P. putida BJ10 in gasoline-contaminated soil were 66% for 9 days. They were clearly distinguished from the control groups (control and sterilized soil) which were 32 and 8%. 3-methylcatechol and o-toluic acid were detected after 6 and 24 hours during the o-xylene biodegradation pathway. Therefore, we confirmed o-toluic acid as the final metabolite. And intermediate-products were somewhat different with previously published studies of the transformation pathway from o-xylene to 3-methylcatechol.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.232-239
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• 2006

The microbial activity and bacterial community structure of activated sludge reactors, which treated free cyanide (FC), zinc-complexed cyanide (ZC), or nickel-complexed cyanide (NC), were studied. The three reactors (designated as re-FC, re-ZC, and re-NC) were operated for 50 days with a stepwise decrease of hydraulic retention time. In the re-FC and re-ZC reactors, FC or ZC was almost completely removed, whereas approximately 80-87% of NC was removed in re-NC. This result might be attributed to the high toxicity of nickel released after degradation of NC. In the batch test, the sludges taken from re-FC and re-ZC completely degraded FC, ZC, and NC, whereas the sludge from re-NC degraded only NC. Although re-FC and re-ZC showed similar properties in regard to cyanide degradation, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of the bacterial communities in the three reactors showed that bacterial community was specifically acclimated to each reactor. We found several bacterial sequences in DGGE bands that showed high similarity to known cyanide-degrading bacteria such as Klebsiella spp., Acidovorax spp., and Achromobacter xylosoxidans. Flocforming microorganism might also be one of the major microorganisms, since many sequences related to Zoogloea, Microbacterium, and phylum TM7 were detected in all the reactors.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.408-413
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• 1987

Microorganisms capable of degrading the raw naked barley were isolated from soil, and the amylase productivity of each strain was examined on plate contained 2％ raw naked barley. Of the fungi and actinomycetes tested, 71 strains were subjected to subsequent testing for amylase production, and 4 strains were selected as potent amylase producers. Among them, Strain No. 281 produced the most potent raw naked barley saccharifying enzyme, and was identified as genus Rhizopus from morphological and physiological studies. The ratio of raw starch saccharifying activity (RDA) of the crude enzyme derived from the Rhizopus sp. No. 281 was showed 2-3 fold higher than that of commercial enzyme when the raw naked barley was used as the substrate. In the case of uncooked alcohol fermentation using Rhizopus sp. No. 281 glucoamylase preparation, the alcohol yield of the broth was 2％ higher than that of the commercial enzyme.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.281-287
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• 2007

Microorganisms were isolated from earthworm intestine and examined for their ability to degrade 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol (MNP), a main degradation product of the insecticide fenitrothion. An isolate that showed the best degradation of MNP was selected for further study. The 16S rRNA analysis showed that the isolate belongs to the genus of Burkholderia, close to phenanthrene-degrading Burkholderia sp. S4.9, and is named Burkholderia sp. SH-1. When time-course degradation of MNP by SH-1 was examined by high performance liquid chromatographic analysis, almost complete degradation of MNP was observed within 26 h. Colony forming unit value assays indicated that the isolate SH-1 was capable of utilizing MNP as a sole carbon source. SH-1 could also degrade p-nitrophenol (PNP) but could not degrade ortho-substituted nitroaromatics such as 2,4-, 2,6- and 2,5-dinitrophenol. Catechol was detected as the main degration product of MNP and PNP. SH-1 was also found in the soil from which earthworms were obtained. These results suggest that the dispersal of Burkholderia sp. SH-1 into different environment with the aid of earthworms is likely to play a role in bioremediation of the soil contaminated with MNP.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.307-313
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• 2000

Aromatic hydrocarbons are known to be recalcitrant, so that they have been concerned as pollutant chemicals. Microorganisms play a major role in the breakdown and mineralization of these compounds. However, the kinetics of the biodegradation process may be much slower than desired from environmental consideration. The biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons is conducted by oxidation to produce catechol as a common intermediate which is metabolized for carbon and energy sources. In this study, a bacterial isolate capable of degrading several aromatic hydrocarbons was isolated from the contaminated wastewater of Yeocheon industrial complex. On the basis of biochemical characteristics and major cellular fatty acids, the isolate was identified as Pseudomonas putida Z104. The strain Z104 can utilize benzoate and catechol as the sole carbon and energy sources via a serial degradative pathway. The strain degraded actively 0.5 mM catechol in MM2 medium at pH 7.0 and 3$0^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.283-291
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• 2012

Bioremediation efforts often rely on the application of surfactants to enhance hydrocarbon bioavailability. However, synthetic surfactants can sometimes be toxic to degrading microorganisms, thus reducing the clearance rate of the pollutant. Therefore, surfactant-resistant bacteria can be an important tool for bioremediation efforts of hydrophobic pollutants, circumventing the toxicity of synthetic surfactants that often delay microbial bioremediation of these contaminants. In this study, we screened a natural surfactant-rich compartment, the estuarine surface microlayer (SML), for cultivable surfactant-resistant bacteria using selective cultures of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Resistance to surfactants was evaluated by colony counts in solid media amended with critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of either surfactants, in comparison with non-amended controls. Selective cultures for surfactant-resistant bacteria were prepared in mineral medium also containing CMC concentrations of either CTAB or SDS. The surfactantresistant isolates obtained were tested by PCR for the Pseudomonas genus marker gacA gene and for the naphthalene-dioxygenase-encoding gene ndo. Isolates were also screened for biosurfactant production by the atomized oil assay. A high proportion of culturable bacterioneuston was tolerant to CMC concentrations of SDS or CTAB. The gacA-targeted PCR revealed that 64% of the isolates were Pseudomonads. Biosurfactant production in solid medium was detected in 9.4% of tested isolates, all affiliated with genus Pseudomonas. This study shows that the SML is a potential source of surfactant-resistant and biosurfactant-producing bacteria in which Pseudomonads emerge as a relevant group.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.109-120
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• 1995

As the genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) and their recombinant plasmid DNAs could be released into natural environments, their stabilities and impacts to indigenous microorganisls have become very importhant research subjects concerning with environmental and ecological aspects. In this study, the genetically modified E. coli CU103 and its recombinant pCU103 plasmid DNA, in which pcbCD genes involving in degradation of biphenyl and 4-chlorobiphenyl were cloned, were studied for their survival and stability in several different waters established under laboratory conditions. E. coli CU103 and its host E. coli XL1-Blue survived longer in sterile distilled water (SDW) and filtered autoclaved river water (FAW) than in filtered river water (FW). A lot of extracellular DNAs were released from E. coli CU103 by lytic action of phages in FW and the released DNAs were degraded by DNase dissolved in the water. Such effects of the factors in FW on stability of the recombinant pCU103 plasmid were also observed in the results of gel electrophoresis, quantitative analysis with bisbenzimide, and transformation assay. Therefore, the recombinant plasmids of pCU103 were found to be readily liberated from the genetically modified E. coli CU103 into waters by normal metabolic processes and lysis of cells. And the plasmid DNAs were quite stable in waters, but their stabilities could be affected by physicoKDICical and biological factors in non-sterile natural waters.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.236-242
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• 1990

To develop the new strains of microorganisms having the degradative ability for various aromatic hydrocarbons, the hybrid plasmid pKG2 having the 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid(2,4-D) degradative genes, the hybrid plasmid pKG3 containg the naphthalene degradative genes and TOL plasmid were introduced into Pseudomonas putida KUD 12 and P. putida KUP 10 by transformation or conjugation which originally have the degradative ability of the synthetic surfactants and phthalate esters, respectively. From P. putida KUD12, the new strains of P. putida KUD101(pKG2), KUD102(pKG3), KUD103(TOL), and KUD202(pKG3, TOL) were obtained, and KUD106(pKG2), KUD107(pKG3), KUD108(TOL) were originated from the P.putida KUP10. The degradative abilities in P. putida KUD101, KUD102 and KUD107 were similar with those of the original strains. The P. putida KUD103, KUD106 and KUD202 had a little lower and P. putida KUD108 had a better degradative abilitie than those of the original ones. In the case of mixed cultures, the mixed culture of KUD107 and KUD108 had a better degradative abilities than those of the other mixed cultures.