• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.12
• /
• pp.1925-1930
• /
• 2019

Carotenoids are organic pigments with antioxidant properties and are widespread in nature. Here, we isolated five microbes, each forming yellow-colored colonies and harboring C₃₀ carotenoid biosynthetic genes (crtM and crtN). Thereafter, Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum KCCP11226, which showed the highest carotenoid production, was finally selected and the produced pigment was identified as C₃₀ carotenoid 4,4'-diaponeurosporene. This strain exhibited the highest survival rate under oxidative stress and its carotenoid production was also enhanced after exposure to 7 mM H₂O₂. Moreover, it showed the highest ability to scavenge DPPH free radical. Our results suggested that L. plantarum subsp. plantarum KCCP11226, which produces 4,4'-diaponeurosporene as a natural antioxidant, may be a functional probiotic.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.175-179
• /
• 2018

In a preliminary study, Lactobacillus plantarum C29 was found to suppress 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in mice. Therefore, to understand whether an anti-colitic probiotic C29 could attenuate memory impairment, we examined the effects of C29 on TNBS-induced memory impairment in mice. Orally administered Lactobacillus plantarum C29 attenuated TNBS-induced memory impairment in mice in the Y-maze, noble object, and passive avoidance task tests. C29 treatment increased TNBS-suppressed hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression and inhibited TNBS-induced hippocampal NF-${\kappa}B$ activation and blood LPS levels. Moreover, C29 restored the TNBS-disturbed gut microbiota composition. These findings suggest that C29 can alleviate memory impairment presumably by restoring the gut microbiota composition.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.1180-1185
• /
• 2009

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of glycine supplementation on the growth of Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus plantarum during kimchi fermentation. As preliminary experiment, the effect of supplementation of glycine (0-2.0%, w/v) to MRS medium on the growth of Leuc. mesenteroides and L. plantarum was evaluated. At 2.0% glycine in the MRS medium, cell growth rate was inhibited by 79% for L. plantarum and 27% for Leuc. mesenteroides. Subsequently, different concentrations of glycine (0, 0.5, and 2.0%, w/v) were applied for kimchi fermentation for 21 days, at $5^{\circ}C$. At day 14, the pH and titratable acidity (TA) of kimchi supplemented with 2.0% glycine were 4.83 and 0.38%, respectively, whilst the control kimchi had a pH of 4.49 and TA of 0.44%, respectively. The ratio of Leuconostoc/ Lactobacillus in kimchi increased as the concentration of glycine increased. The results show that the presence of glycine affected the growth of the 2 lactic acid bacteria, particularly of L. plantarum.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.9
• /
• pp.1517-1526
• /
• 2016

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from fermented foods have potential as a treatment for immune-related disorders and the use of LAB has been increasing worldwide. In this study, the differential cytokine regulatory effect was examined with three isolates of lactobacilli strains; namely, Lactobacillus plantarum K55-5 isolated from dairy product, and L. sakei K101 and L. plantarum K8 previously isolated from kimchi (a Korean traditional fermented vegetable). Production of cytokines such as IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α was significantly increased in L. sakei K101- and L. plantarum K55-5-treated splenocytes as compared with controls. The oral administration of L. sakei K101 and L. plantarum K55-5 increased cytokine production in the immunosuppressed mouse splenocytes and blood. NK cell cytotoxic activity was also increased in L. sakei K101- and L. plantarum K55-5-fed mice. On the other hand, L. plantarum K8 did not affect cytokine induction in all the experiments performed in this study. The cytokine-inducing effect of L. plantarum K55-5 was significantly increased by lysates of heat-killed bacteria as compared with live, heat-killed, or supernatant of cell lysates. TNF-α production by lipoteichoic acids (LTAs) isolated from the three isolates of lactobacilli was compared, and it was found that K55-5 LTA had a highest cytokine-inducing ability, which was mediated by TLR2-mediated NF-κB and ERK activation. Taken together, our study suggests that L. plantarum K55-5 and L. sakei K101 can be used for the treatment of immunosuppressed disorders.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.117-121
• /
• 1998

Bacteriophage SC 921 of Lactobacillus plantarum, isolated from kimchi, showed high lytic effects at 0.2 M.O.I. level. The phage particle contained 4 major proteins (48, 34, 32, 29 kDa). Intact DNA of phage SC 921 is a double stranded linear molecule, and the genomic size is approximately 66.5 kilobase pairs (kbp). Restriction analysis of the genome showed that Sma I gave single site cut and Xba I gave 2 site cuts, while Cla I, Kpn I, and EcoR I formed 4, 5, and 6 cuts, respectively. Hind III digested phage DNA to many fragments. A restriction map of genomic DNA was constructed using the restriction endonuclease Kpn I, Sma I, and Xba I. Bacteriophage SC 921 was compared with B2 phage which had been reported to infect Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014(KCCM l1322). Bacteriophage SC 921 differs from B2 phage at least in thr size of its genome and phage particle proteins.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.633-638
• /
• 2015

Lactobacillus is a probiotic that suppresses the growth of pathogens while preventing constipation, diarrhea, and intestinal inflammation. However, various environmental conditions such as pH and temperature affect the growth of Lactobacillus. In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum was encapsulated with starch using a spray dryer to protect the viability of the organism during storage and to increase its acid tolerance. The lower water activity and storage temperature resulting from this method influenced the survival of L. plantarum. In encapsulated Lactobacillus powders, viability of Lactobacillus was increased during storage at $20^{\circ}C$ relative to that of L. plantarum stored at $35^{\circ}C$ in the same water activity conditions. Furthermore, L. plantarum encapsulated in starch with ginger showed increased viability when compared to non-encapsulated L. plantarum stored without treatment. Finally, based on a simulated digestion test, encapsulated L. plantarum survived at a pH of 2, whereas the non-encapsulated L. plantarum did not. Thus, coating the encapsulated powder with these materials was effective in maintaining Lactobacillus viability.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.881-884
• /
• 2000

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to rapidly identify Lactobacillus plantarum from type strains and kimchi samples. The PCR experiments were carried out using specific oligonucleotide primer sets based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences of L. plantarum. The expected DNA amplificate of 419 bp was obtained when either purified DNA or whole cells of L. plantarum strains reacted with LP primers, yet not with any of the other strains. The PCR product was confirmed by DNA sequencing. Accordingly, since the PCR method used is simple, specific, and rapid, it will be useful for monitoring and evaluation L. plantarum in the mixed microbial population found in kimchi.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.357-363
• /
• 1998

The antitumor effects of mice fed with cell lysate of Lactobacillus plantarum were studied. The abdominal cancer induced by Sarcoma-180 was markedly inhibited and the expected life span was extended by 60% for the Balb/c mice fed with L. plantarum cell lysate for two weeks. A similar result was obtained for the rat inoculated with Spontaneous Osteosarcoma(SOS). The primary tumor volume of SOS was reduced by 70% for the rats fed with L. plantarum cell lysate (100mg/kg/day) for one week before the inoculation of SOS, while only 42% for the rats fed with the same amount of cell lysate for one week after the inoculation of tumor cell line, SOS. As lung was the metastasis site of SOS, the weight of lung was measured to determine the degree of metastasis inhibition by the L. plantarum cell lysate feeding. The rats fed with cell lysate for one week showed a remarkable inhibition of lung metastasis by 63%(before) and 46%(after), respectively. These results indicate that the feeding of L. plantarum cell lysate to mouse or rat can induce a strong stimulation of mucosal or systemic immune system and these effects results in an efficient antitumor activity.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.13-22
• /
• 2019

This study aimed to develop a bile-responsive expression system for lactobacilli. The promoters of four genes, encoding phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase (mannose-specific), L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), HPr kinase, and D-alanine-D-alanine ligase, respectively, which were highly expressed by bile addition in Lactobacillus johnsonii PF01, were chosen. Each promoter was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and fused upstream of the ${\beta}$-glucuronidase gene as a reporter, respectively. Then, these constructs were cloned into E. coli-Lactobacillus shuttle vector pULP2, which was generated by the fusion of pUC19 with the L. plantarum plasmid pLP27. Finally, the constructed vectors were introduced into L. plantarum for a promoter activity assay. The LDH promoter showed the highest activity and its activity increased 1.8-fold by bile addition. The constructed vector maintained in L. plantarum until 80 generations without selection pressure. A bile-responsive expression vector, $pULP3-P_{LDH}$, for Lactobacillus spp. can be an effective tool for the bile-inducible expression of bioactive proteins in intestine after intake in the form of fermented dairy foods.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.96-101
• /
• 1991

Phenotypic changes after plasmid curing experiment suggested that the bacteriocin production phenotype ($Bac^{+}$) might be linked to a chromosomal DNA and the mucin production phenotype ($Muc^{+}$) might be linked to a 62.5 kilobase (kb) plasmid (pMUC62) in Lactobacillus plantarum 27 isolated from meat starter culture. The non-mucoid ($Muc^{-}$) variants were missing pMUC62 but they produced bacteriocin as the wild strain ($Bac^{+}$). There was no difference in antibiotic resistance and sugar fermentation patterns between the wild strain ($Bac^{+}$ $Muc^{+}$) and the nonmucoid ($Bac^{+}$ $Muc^{-}$) variants. Antimicrobial spectrum of bacteriocin produced by both wild strain and $Muc^{-}$ variant of Lb. plantarum 27 included strains of Pediococcus acidilactici (A, M, H), Pediococcus sp. isolated from meat, Lactobacillus sp. isolated from meat, Lb. plantarum NCDO 955 and Staphylococcus aureus 485. Neither of the tested Gram negative bacteria were inhibited by bacteriocin. Antimicrobial activity of crude bacteriocin was retained after autoclaving, DNase or catalase treatment and exposure from pHs 4 to 9 but was lost after treating with several proteolytic enzymes and exposure at pH 10.