• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.92-98
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• 2013

Microalgal cultivation using wastewater is now regarded as essential for biodiesel production, as two goals can be achieved simultaneously; that is, nutrient removal efficiency and biomass production. Therefore, this study examined the effects of carbon sources, the N:P ratio, and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) to identify the optimal conditions for nutrient removal efficiency and biomass production. The effluent from a 2nd lagoon was used to cultivate microalgae. Whereas the algal species diversity and lipid content increased with a longer HRT, the algal biomass productivity decreased. Different carbon sources also affected the algal species composition. Diatoms were dominant with an increased pH when bicarbonate was supplied. However, 2% $CO_2$ gas led to a lower pH and the dominance of filamentous green algae with a much lower biomass productivity. Among the experiments, the highest chlorophyll-a concentration and lipid productivity were obtained with the addition of phosphate up to 0.5 mg/l P, since phosphorus was in short supply compared with nitrogen. The N and P removal efficiencies were also higher with a balanced N:P ratio, based on the addition of phosphate. Thus, optimizing the N:P ratio for the dominant algae could be critical in attaining higher algal growth, lipid productivity, and nutrient removal efficiency.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2012

Exposure of cells to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation can induce production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage cellular components. In addition, these agents can stimulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and decrease collagen synthesis in human skin cells. In this study, we examined the anti-photoaging effects of extracts of Tetraselmis suecica (W-TS). W-TS showed the strongest scavenging activity against 2,2-difenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and peroxyl radicals, followed by superoxide anions from the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system. We observed that the levels of both intracellular ROS and lipid peroxidation significantly increased in UVB-irradiated human skin fibroblast cells. Furthermore, the activities of enzymatic antioxidants (e.g., superoxide dismutase) and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants (e.g., glutathione) significantly decreased in cells. However, W-TS pretreatment, at the maximum tested concentration, significantly decreased intracellular ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels in the cells. At this same concentration, W-TS did not show cytotoxicity. Type 1 procollagen and MMP-1 released were quantified using RT-PCR techniques. The results showed that W-TS protected type 1 procollagen against UVB-induced depletion in fibroblast cells in a dose-dependent manner via inhibition of UVB-induced MMP-1. Taken together, the results of the study suggest that W-TS effectively inhibits UVB-induced photoaging in skin fibroblasts by its strong anti-oxidant ability.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2011

The relationships between the phytoplankton community and sizes of reservoirs are investigated from 29 reservoirs in Yeongsan and Seomjin River Basins, Korea. As a microalgal flora, a total of 371 species of phytoplankton were identified. There were spatial and seasonal variations in standing crops and species diversity of phytoplankton. Statistical analysis showed that the size of reservoirs did not affect greatly on the community of phytoplankton. Species diversity and standing crops were higher in reservoirs of smaller surface area. However, there were no distinctive relationships between the size of basins of reservoirs and standing crops, species diversity, and chlorophyll $a$ concentrations. Relationships between the constructed years of reservoirs and standing crops, species diversity, and chlorophyll $a$ concentrations also showed very low level.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.723-731
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• 2015

Microalgae hold promise as producers of sustainable biomass for the production of biofuels and other biomaterials. However, the selection of strains with efficient and robust production of desirable resources remains challenging. In this study, we isolated a green microalga from Korea and analyzed its morphological, molecular, and biochemical characteristics. Microscopic and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the isolate could be classified into the genus Chlamydomonas, and we designated the isolate Chlamydomonas sp. KIOST -1. Compositions of protein, lipid, and carbohydrate in the microalgal cells were estimated to be 58.8 ± 0.2%, 22.7 ± 1.2%, and 18.5 ± 1.0%, respectively. Similar to other microalgae belonging to Chlorophyceae, the dominant amino acid and monosaccharide in Chlamydomonas sp. KIOST-1 were glutamic acid and glucose. On the other hand, the proportions of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids clearly differed from other species in the genus Chlamydomonas, and monounsaturated fatty acids accounted for a large portion (41.3%) of the total fatty acids in the isolate. Based on these results, Chlamydomonas sp. KIOST-1 has advantageous characteristics for biomass production.

• ALGAE
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.277-292
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• 2020

Omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are polyunsaturated fatty acids beneficial to human health. A limited number of microalgae have been used for commercial omega-3 production, which necessitates the identification of new microalgae with high omega-3 contents. We explored the fatty acid composition and EPA and DHA contents of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium smaydae fed with the optimal algal prey species Heterocapsa rotundata. Cells of G. smaydae were found to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids. In particular, the DHA content of G. smaydae was 21 mg g^-1 dry weight, accounting for 43% of the total fatty acid content. The percentage of DHA in the total fatty acid content of G. smaydae was the highest among the reported microalgae except for Crypthecodinium cohnii. Moreover, to determine if the prey supply interval affected the growth rate of G. smaydae and its fatty acid content, three different prey supply intervals (daily, once every 2 d, and once for 4 d) were tested. Daily prey supply yielded the highest total fatty acid and DHA contents in G. smaydae. Furthermore, we successfully produced high-density G. smaydae cultures semi-continuously for 43 d with daily prey supply. During the semi-continuous cultivation period, the highest density of G. smaydae was 57,000 cells mL^-1, with an average growth rate of 0.7 d^-1. Taken together, the percentage of EPA and DHA in the total fatty acid content was maintained in the range of 54.2-56.9%. The results of this study support G. smaydae as a promising microalgal candidate for commercial DHA production and demonstrate that daily supply of prey can efficiently produce high-density G. smaydae cultures for more than a month.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.910-917
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• 2015

A total of 646 strains, including green algae and diatoms, were isolated from 220 samples to screen microalgae with high lipid productivity (LP). The samples were obtained from nine habitats in Northern Xinjiang, China in June 2013. This study initially identified eight lipidrich strains, namely, Desmodesmus intermedius XJ-498, D. intermedius XJ-145, D. intermedius XJ-99, Monoraphidium pusillum XJ-489, M. dybowskii XJ-435, M. dybowskii XJ-151, Mychonastes homosphaera XJ-488, and Podohedriella falcata XJ-176, based on 18S rDNA sequencing. The strains were cultured in a photobioreactor for the same period. Results showed that the specific growth rate (day^-1) of M. pusillum XJ-489 was the highest (1.14 ± 0.06), and the biomass concentration (g/l) of D. intermedius XJ-99 was the highest (2.84 ± 0.3). Futhermore, the lipid content (%) of M. dybowskii XJ-151 was the highest (33.5 ± 4.38), and the lipid productivity (mg l^-1 day^-1) of My. homosphaera XJ-488 was the highest (86.41 ± 9.04). C16 to C18 accounted for 86% to 98% of the total lipid, and the biodiesel qualities of the selected algae corresponded to international standards. This study suggests that My. homosphaera XJ-488, D. intermedius XJ-99, and M. dybowskii XJ-151 are the most potential strains for biodiesel production among all the isolated strains.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.22-29
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• 2017

A unicellular green alga was axenically isolated from the Port of Jeongja, Ulsan, Korea. Morphological, molecular, and biochemical analyses revealed that the isolate belonged to Heterochlorella luteoviridis. This is the first report of this species in Korea. The microalgal strain was named as H. luteoviridis MM0014 and its growth, lipid composition, and biomass properties were investigated. The strain thrived over a wide range of temperatures ($5-30^{\circ}C$) and withstood up to 0.5 M NaCl. The results of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis showed that the isolate was rich in nutritionally important polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its major fatty acids were linoleic acid (35.6%) and ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid (16.2%). Thus, this indigenous marine microalga is a potential alternative source of ${\omega}3$ and ${\omega}6$ polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are currently obtained from fish and plant oils. Ultimate analysis indicated that the gross calorific value was $19.7MJ\;kg^{-1}$. In addition, the biomass may serve as an excellent animal feed because of its high protein content (51.5%). Therefore, H. luteoviridis MM0014 shows promise for applications in the production of microalgae-based biochemicals and biomass feedstock.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.553-558
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• 2014

Microalgae are a promising alternative feedstock for biodiesel production because their growth rates and oil contents are higher than those of conventional energy crops. Microalgal lipid is mainly triacylglyceride that can be converted to biodiesel as fatty acid methyl esters through trans-esterification. In this paper, the influence of several important lipid inducing factors such as nutrient limitation and changes in salinity and metallic components in microalgae and their potential strategies to be used for biodiesel production are reviewed. Depending upon strains/species that we use, microalgae react to stresses by producing different amount of triacylglyceride and/or by altering their fatty acids composition. Although the most widely applied method is the nitrogen starvation, other potential factors, including nutrient surplus conditions and changes in salinity, pH, temperature and metal concentrations, should be considered to increase biodiesel productivity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2012

The distributions of phytoplankton community are investigated from 29 reservoirs in Yeongsan and Seomjin River Basins, Korea. As a microalgal flora, a total of 424 species of phytoplankton were identified. They were 157 Chlorophyceae, 161 Bacillariophyceae, 39 Cyanophyceae, and 67 other algal taxa. The phytoplankton diversity were low in stream type reservoirs such as Kumho, Youngsan and Youngam Reservoirs. The population density of phytoplankton ranged from 29 cells $mL^{-1}$ to 53,161 cells $mL^{-1}$. The dominant phytoplankton species more than 20% of total standing crops were $Asterionella$ $formosa$, $Aulacoseira$ $ambigua$, $Aulacoseira$ $distans$, $Aulacoseira$ $granulata$, $Cyclotella$ sp., $Synedra$ $acus$, $Coelastrum$ $reticulatum$, $Pandorina$ $morum$, $Scenedesmus$ $arcuatus$, $Aphanothece$ $clathrata$, $Microcystis$ $aeruginosa$, $Phormidium$ sp. The concentration of chlorophyll $a$ ranged from 0.41 mg $m^{-3}$~220.72 mg $m^{-3}$, and showed highest concentration in Gaecho-je. The concentrations of TN and TP have no clear relationships with chlorophyll $a$ concentrations.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.359-367
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• 1999

For investigating the activities of algicidal bacteria, the variations of algicidal bacterial population and chlorophyll-a were checked weekly in Chindong Bay, Korea from May to July, 1998. For identifying their killing characteristics, three strains were selected from the isolated algicidal bacteria. The density of algicidal bacteria kept changing in the range of $6.0\times10^1$ to $6.4\times10^5$ cell $\ell^{-1}$. The density flux of algicidal bacteria coincided with that of chlorophyll-a by a week of lag time. Three algicidal bacteria isolated from field strains, H519S5-4, H605S5-15 and H605S5-22, were investigated in nine microalgal species, Heterosigma akashiwo, Chattonella sp. (Raphidlphyceae), Gymnodinium catenatum, Gyrodinium impudicum, Cochlodinium polyklikoides (Dinophyceae), Chaetoceros sp., Coscinodiscus granii, Ditylum brightwellii, Thalassiosira rotula (Bacillariophyceae). Strain H605S5-22 showed a wide algicidal activities over nine microlgae, strain H605S5-15 over H. akashiwo, G. catenatum, T. rotula, Chattonella sp. and strain H519S5-4 over H. akashiwo, Chattonella sp., Chaetoceros sp., G. catenatum. The activities of the three strains were detected by the secretion of algicidal substances. Therefore, it is suggested that the activities of algicidal bacteria have a significant influence over the population dynamics of phytoplankton and get involved with the sharp decrease in red tides in the coastal area.