• 한국미생물생명공학회소식지:생물산업
• /
• 제14권1호
• /
• pp.39-48
• /
• 2001

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
• /
• 제51권4호
• /
• pp.432-440
• /
• 2023

Irrational and injudicious use of antibiotics, easy availability of them as over-the-counter drugs in economically developing countries, and unavailability of regulatory policies governing antimicrobial use in agriculture, animals, and humans, has led to the development of multi-drug resistance (MDR) bacteria. The use of medicinal plants can be considered as an alternative, with a consequent impact on microbial resistance. We tested extracts of Piper longum fruits as new natural products as agents for reversing the resistance to antibiotics. Six crude extracts of P. longum fruits were utilized against a clinical isolate of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.The antibiotic susceptibility testing disc method was used in the antibiotic resistance reversal analysis. Apart from cefoxitin and erythromycin, all other antibiotics used (lincosamides [clindamycin], quinolones [levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin], and aminoglycosides [amikacin and gentamicin]) were enhanced by P. longum extracts. The extracts that showed the greatest synergy with the antibiotics were EAPL (ethyl acetate [extract of] P. longum), n-BPL (n-butanol [extract of] P. longum), and MPL (methanolic [extract of] P. longum The results of this study suggest that P. longum extracts have the ability to increase the effectiveness of different classes of antibiotics and reverse their resistance. However, future studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the synergy between antibiotic and phytocompound(s) and identify the active biomolecules of P. longum responsible for the synergy in S. aureus.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• 제66권1호
• /
• pp.178-203
• /
• 2024

Constipation, which refers to difficulties in defecation and infrequent bowel movement in emptying the gastrointestinal system that ultimately produces hardened fecal matters, is a health concern in livestock and aging animals. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of dairy-isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains to alleviate constipation as an alternative therapeutic intervention for constipation treatment in the aging model. Rats were aged via daily subcutaneous injection of D-galactose (600 mg/body weight [kg]), prior to induction of constipation via oral administration of loperamide hydrochloride (5 mg/body weight [kg]). LAB strains (L. fermentum USM 4189 or L. plantarum USM 4187) were administered daily via oral gavage (1 × 10 Log CFU/day) while the control group received sterile saline. Aged rats as shown with shorter telomere lengths exhibited increased fecal bulk and soften fecal upon administration of LAB strains amid constipation as observed using the Bristol Stool Chart, accompanied by a higher fecal moisture content as compared to the control (p < 0.05). Fecal water-soluble metabolite profiles showed a reduced concentration of threonine upon administration of LAB strains compared to the control (p < 0.05). Histopathological analysis also showed that the administration of LAB strains contributed to a higher colonic goblet cell count as compared to the control (p < 0.05). The present study illustrates the potential of dairy-sourced LAB strains as probiotics to ameliorate the adverse effect of constipation amid aging, and as a potential dietary intervention strategy for dairy foods including yogurt and cheese.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제15권5호
• /
• pp.965-970
• /
• 2005

In our previous study [14], we found that heat-shock exposure did not stimulate the neutral trehalase activity in Sacchromyces cerevisiae KNU5377, but did in ATCC24858. Consequently, the trehalose content in KNU5377 became 2.6 times higher than that in ATCC24858. Because trehalose has been shown to stabilize the structure and function of some macromolecules, the present work was focused to elucidate the relationship between trehalose content of these strains and thermal stabilities of whole cells, through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and to predict critical targets calculated from the hyperthermic cell killing rates. These analyses showed that the prominent DSC transition of both strains gave identical $T_m$ (transition temperature) values in exponentially growing cells, and that the $T_m$ values of critical targets was about $3^{\circ}C$ higher in KNU5377 than in ATCC24858. Both heat-shocked KNU5377 and ATCC24858 cells displayed similar shifts in their DSC transition profiles. On the other hand, the $T_m$ value of the critical target of KNU5377 was decreased by $2.1^{\circ}C$, which was still higher than ATCC24858 showing no changes. In view of these results, the intrinsic thermotolerance of KNU5377 did not appear to result from the stability of entire cellular components, but rather possibly from that of particular macromolecules, including critical targets, even though it should be investigated in more details. Although the trehalose levels in heat-shocked cells are significantly different, as described in our previous study [14], the overall pattern of thermal stabilities and their predicted critical targets in two heat-shocked strains seemed to be identical. These data suggest that the trehalose levels examined before and after heat shock of exponentially growing cells are not closely correlated with the stabilities of whole cells and/or critical targets in both yeast strains.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• 제44권3호
• /
• pp.255-262
• /
• 2006

Titanium and its alloys are technically superior and cost-effective materials, with a wide variety of aerospace, industrial, marine, and commercial applications. In this study, the effects of titanium ions on bacterial growth were evaluated. Six strains of bacteria known to be resistant to both metal ions and antibiotics were used in this study. Two strains, Escherichia coli ATCC 15489, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145, proved to be resistant to titanium ions. Plasmid-cured p. aeruginosa resulted in the loss of one or move resistance markers, indicating plasmid-encoded resistance. The plasmid profile of p. aeruginosa revealed the presence of a 23-kb plasmid. The plasmid was isolated and transformed into $DH5{\alpha}$. Interestingly, the untransformed $DH5{\alpha}$ did not grow in 300 mg/l titanium ions, but the transformed $DH5{\alpha}$ grew quite well under such conditions. The survival rate of the transformed $DH5{\alpha}$ also increased more than 3-fold compared to that of untransformed $DH5{\alpha}$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제25권8호
• /
• pp.1281-1290
• /
• 2015

Thermolysin and its homologs are a group of metalloproteases that have been widely used in both therapeutic and biotechnological applications. We here report the identification and characterization of a novel thermolysin-like protease, BtsTLP1, from insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis serovar Sichuansis strain MC28. BtsTLP1 is extracellularly produced in Bacillus subtilis, and the active protein was purified via successive chromatographic steps. The mature form of BtsTLP1 has a molecule mass of 35.6 kDa as determined by mass spectrometry analyses. The biochemical characterization indicates that BtsTLP1 has an apparent K_m value of 1.57 mg/ml for azocasein and is active between 20℃ and 80℃. Unlike other reported neutral gram-positive thermolysin homologs with optimal pH around 7, BtsTLP1 exhibits an alkaline pH optimum around 10. The activity of BtsTLP1 is strongly inhibited by EDTA and a group of specific divalent ions, with Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ showing particular effects in promoting the enzyme autolysis. Furthermore, our data also indicate that BtsTLP1 has potential in cleaning applications.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
• /
• 제47권4호
• /
• pp.473-486
• /
• 2019

In the aquatic environment, microorganisms are predominantly organized as biofilms. Biofilms are formed by the aggregation of microbial cells and are surrounded by a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by the microbial cells. Biofilms are attached to various surfaces, such as the living tissues, indwelling medical devices, and piping of the industrial potable water system. Biofilms formed from a single species has been extensively studied. However, there is an increased research focus on multispecies biofilms in recent years. It is important to assess the microbial mechanisms underlying the regulation of multispecies biofilm formation to determine the drinking water microbial composition. These mechanisms contribute to the predominance of the best-adapted species in an aquatic environment. This review focuses on the interactions in the multispecies biofilms, such as coaggregation, co-metabolism, cross-species protection, jamming of quorum sensing, lateral gene transfer, synergism, and antagonism. Further, this review explores the dynamics and the factors favoring biofilm formation and pathogen transmission within the drinking water distribution systems. The understanding of the physiology and biodiversity of microbial species in the biofilm may aid in the development of novel biofilm control and drinking water disinfection processes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제29권4호
• /
• pp.617-624
• /
• 2019

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) which is generally synthesized by several species of bacteria has a wide variety of industrial uses, particularly in the food and material industries. However, the low levels of BNC production during the fermentation process should be overcome to reduce its production cost. Therefore, in this study, we screened and identified a new cellulose-producing bacterium, optimized production of the cellulose, and investigated the morphological properties of the cellulosic materials. Out of 147 bacterial isolates from ripened fruits and traditional vinegars, strain SFCB22-18 showed the highest capacity for BNC production and was identified as Komagataeibacter sp. based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis. During 6-week fermentation of the strain using an optimized medium containing 3.0% glucose, 2.5% yeast extract, 0.24% acetic acid, 0.27% $Na_2HPO_4$, and 0.5% ethanol at $30^{\circ}C$, about 5 g/l of cellulosic material was produced. Both imaging and IR analysis proved that the produced cellulose would be nanoscale bacterial cellulose.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제16권8호
• /
• pp.1222-1228
• /
• 2006

Two kinds of Haematococcus pluvialis cells (green vegetative cells cultivated under optimal cell culture conditions and red cyst cells maintained under high light stress conditions to induce astaxanthin production) were used to investigate the protein expression profiles by two-dimensional electrophoresis, image analysis, and peptide mass fingerprinting. The cellular accumulation of astaxanthin was evident after exposure to high light intensity and reached the maximum cellular level after 78 h of high light stress. In a 2-D electrophoresis analysis, 22 proteins were upregulated over 2-fold in the red cyst cells when compared with the green vegetative cells and selected for further analysis by chemically assisted fragmentation (CAF)-MALDI-TOF sequencing to identify the protein functions. Among 22 different spots, several key enzymes specific to the carotenoid pathway, including isopentenyl pyrophosphate isomerase (IPP) and lycopene $\beta$-cyclase, appeared in H. pluvialis after exposure to high light intensity. Therefore, IPP and lycopene $\beta$-cyclase would appear to be involved with carotenoid accumulation in the cytoplasm, as these peptides were preferentially upregulated by high light intensity preceding an increase in carotenoid, and only these forms were detected in the red cyst cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제12권6호
• /
• pp.962-971
• /
• 2002

The current study proposes a simple monodimensional model to estimate the linear growth rate of photosynthetic microorganisms in flat-plate photobioreactors (FPPBRs) during batch cultivation. As a model microorganism, Chlorella kessleri was cultivated photoautotrophically in FPPBRs using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the light sources to provide unidirectional irradiation in the photobioreactors. Various conditions were simulated by adjusting both the intensity of the light and the height of the culture. The validity of the proposed model was examined by comparing the linear growth rates measured with the predicted ones obtained from the proposed model. Accordingly, the value of $\frac{K\cdot\mu m}{\alpha\cdot L}log(I_0\cdot{I_s}^{\varepsilon 1)\cdot {I_c}^{-\varepsilon})$ was proposed as an approximate index for strategies to obtain the maximal lightn yield under light-limiting conditions for high-density algal cultures and as a control parameter to improve the photosynthetic productivity and efficiency.