• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.643-648
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• 2002

For wastewater treatment and utilization of the biomass, a photosynthetic bacterium was isolated based on its cell growth rate, cell mass, and assimilating ability of organic acids. The isolate was a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium that contained a single polar flagellum and formed a lamellar intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) system, including bacteriochlorophyll $\alpha$. The major isoprenoid quinone component was identified as ubiquinone Q-10, and the fatty acid composition was characterized as to contain relatively large amount of C-16:0 (18.74%) and C-18:1 (59.23%). Based on its morphology, phototrophic properties, quinone component, and fatty acid composition, the isolate appeared to be closely related to the Rhodopseudomonas subgroup of purple nonsulfur bacteria. A phylogenetic analysis of the isolate using its 16S rRNA gene sequence data also supported the phenotypic findings, and classified the isolate closely related to Rhodopseudomonas palustris. Accordingly, the nomenclature of the isolate was proposed as Rhodopseudomonas palustris KUGB306. A bench-scale photosynthetic bacteria (PSB) reactor using the isolate was designed and operated for the treatment of soybean curd wastewater.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권8호
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• pp.1472-1482
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• 2017

Bacterial cytochrome P450 (CYP) steroid hydroxylases are effectively useful in the pharmaceutical industry for introducing hydroxyl groups to a wide range of steroids. We found a putative CYP steroid hydroxylase (BaCYP106A2) from the bacterium Bacillus sp. PAMC 23377 isolated from Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean, showing 94% sequence similarity with BmCYP106A2 (Bacillus megaterium ATCC 13368). In this study, soluble BaCYP106A2 was overexpressed to evaluate its substrate-binding activity. The substrate affinity ($K_d$ value) to 4-androstenedione was $387{\pm}37{\mu}M$. Moreover, the crystal structure of BaCYP106A2 was determined at $2.7{\AA}$ resolution. Structural analysis suggested that the ${\alpha}8-{\alpha}9$ loop region of BaCYP106A2 is intrinsically mobile and might be important for initial ligand binding. The hydroxyl activity of BaCYP106A2 was identified using in vitro enzyme assays. Its activity was confirmed with two kinds of steroid substrates, 4-androstenedione and nandrolone, using chromatography and mass spectrometry methods. The main products were mono-hydroxylated compounds with high conversion yields. This is the second study on the structure of CYP106A steroid hydroxylases, and should contribute new insight into the interactions of bacterial CYP106A with steroid substrates, providing baseline data for studying the CYP106A steroid hydroxylase from the structural and enzymatic perspectives.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권10호
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• pp.1621-1629
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• 2008

Harmful algal blooms (HABs), commonly called red tides, are caused by some toxic phytoplanktons, and have made massive economic losses as well as marine environmental disturbances. As an effective and environment-friendly strategy to control HAB outbreaks, biological methods using marine bacteria capable of killing the harmful algae or algicidal extracellular compounds from them have been given attention. A new member of the $\gamma$-Proteobacteria, Hahella chejuensis KCTC 2396, was originally isolated from the Korean seashore for its ability to secrete industrially useful polysaccharides, and was characterized to produce a red pigment. This pigment later was identified as an alkaloid compound, prodigiosin. During the past several decades, prodigiosin has been extensively studied for its medical potential as immunosuppressants and antitumor agents, owing to its antibiotic and cytotoxic activities. The lytic activity of this marvelous molecule against Cochlodinium polykrikoides cells at very low concentrations ($\sim$l ppb) was serendipitously detected, making H. chejuensis a strong candidate among the biological agents for HAB control. This review provides a brief overview of algicidal marine bacteria and their products, and describes in detail the algicidal characteristics, biosynthetic process, and genetic regulation of prodigiosin as a model among the compounds active against red-tide organisms from the biochemical and genetic viewpoints.

• 식물병과 농업
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 1999

The grain rot of caused by Bukholderia glumae was fist reported in japan in 1955 and then reported in other countries as well as in Korea in 1986. The pathogen causes both seedling and grain rot of rice but it cannot attack any other parts of adult rice plant. Bacterial colonies grow slowly, and are circular and greyish white. The causal bacterium is Gram-negative and rod shape with 1-3 polar flagella, and produce a diffusible yellow-greenish nonfluorescent pigment on King's medium B. Biochemical characteristics such as negative in arginine dehydrolase, oxidase reaction and nitrate reduction and positive in lecithinase, and the utilization of L-arginine and inositol are useful in differentiation of this from other nonfluorescent bacteria pathogenic to rice. This pathogenic bacterium had belonged to the genus of Pseudomonas but recently was transferred to the new genus Burkholderia on the basis of physiological characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization data. However, other characteristics such as colony heterogenicity or colonial variation after subcultures, phytotoxin, secreting antibiotics, and relationship between yellow greenish pigment production and pathogenicity need to be clarified more. To develop an effective control strategy for this disease, understanding of detailed life cycle of the disease and critical environmental factors affecting disease development is prerequisite. Although 5,435 ha of rice paddy in Korea was infested during 1998, there is no exact estimation of yield losses and distribution of the pathogen. The review will focus on recent progress on the understanding of the bacteriological and ecological characteristics of the causal bacterium and control means of the disease.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.278-283
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• 2013

A gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming, motile thermophilic bacterium was isolated from a sterilization oven. The microorganism GWE1, formally named Geobacillus wiegelii identified as a member of the genus Geobacillus. GWE1 grew under aerobic conditions of between $60-80^{\circ}C$ (optimum $670^{\circ}C$), in a pH range of 3.0-8.0 (optimum $pH^{70^{\circ}C}$ 5.8), and between 0 and 2 M NaCl (optimum 0.3 M). The membrane polar lipids were dominated by branched saturated fatty acids, which included as the major constituents; iso-15:0 (13.3%), 16:1(${\omega}7$) (12.8%), 16:0 (28.5%), iso-17:0 (13.5%) and anteiso-17:0 (12.3%). The DNA G+C content was 47.2 mol% (determined by HPLC). The 16S rRNA gene sequence of GWE1 showed a high similarity with Geobacillus caldoxylosilyticus (97%). However, the level of DNA-DNA relatedness was only 58%. These data suggest that GWE1 is probably a novel specie of the genus Geobacillus.

• 식물병과 농업
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.69-76
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• 1999

Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae is the causal pathogen of several hosts including oats corn foxtail millet wheatgrass sugarcane and rice. The pathogen is a seedborne pathogen of rice and known to occur widely in rice growing countries. The pathogen cause inhibition of germination brown stripe on the leaf curling of the leaf sheath and abnormal elongation of the mesocotyl of irce. Bacterial colonies grow slowly and are convex circular and creamy with tan to brown center. The causal baterium is Gram-negative and rod shape with a single polar flagellum Nonfluorescence poly-$\beta$-hydroxybutyrate accumulation and precipitate formation around the colony on the medium are useful in the differentiation of this bacterium from other subspecies of A. avenae as well as nonfluorescent bacteria pathogenic to rice. This bacterium has belonged to the genus of Psdeudomonas but recently was transferred to the new genus Acidovorax on the basis of bacteriological and molecular biological data. However the difference of biochemical characteristics protein profile of the cell and host range among strains should be more clarified. To develop an effective control strategy for this disease understanding of detailed life cycle of the disease ritical environmental factors affecting disease development on each host and relationship to grain discoloration of rice are prerequisite. Although the affected area has been world-widely reported there is on recent progress on the understanding of the bacteriological and ecological characteristics of the causal bacterium and control means of the disease.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제45권6호
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• pp.510-514
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• 2007

Twenty-five bacterial strains that secrete mucous materials were isolated from sediment obtained from King George Island, Antarctica. Seven of these strains proved capable of producing cryoprotective exopolysaccharides. The strain KOPRI 21653 was selected for the further study of an anti-ice-nucleating polysaccharide (ANP), which originated from a polar region. KOPRI 21653 was identified as Pseudoalteromonas arctica as the result of 16S rRNA analysis. The exopolysaccharide, P-21653, was purified completely from the KOPRI 21653 cell culture via column chromatography and protease treatment. The principal sugar components of P-21653 were determined to be galactose and glucose, at a ratio of 1:1.5, via GC-MS analysis. The cryoprotective activity of P-21653 was characterized via an E. coli viability test. In the presence of 0.1% (w/v) P-21653, the survival ratio of E. coli cells was as high as 82.6% over three repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The survival ratio decreased drastically to 71.5 and 48.1 %, respectively, in five and seven repeated cycle conditions; however, the survival ratios were greater over three (96.6-92.1%) to seven (100.5-91.6%) freeze-thaw cycles in the presence of 0.5 and 1.0% (w/v) P-21653. In addition, at much lower concentrations (0.1-1.0%), P-21653 resulted in survival ratios (83.1-98.4%) similar to those of two commercially available cryoprotectants ($V_{EG}$ plus X-1000, 92.9% and $V_{M3}$, 95.3%), which were utilized at the recommended concentrations (90%). The biochemical characteristics of exopolysaccharide P-21653 reflect that this compound may be developed as a useful cryoprotectant for use in medical applications and in the food industry.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제17권9호
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• pp.1483-1490
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• 2007

A Gram-negative, motile by tuft flagella, obligately aerobic chemoorganoheterotrophic, sphere-form bacterium, designated $IMCC3135^T$, was isolated from the Antarctic surface seawater of King George Island, West Antarctica. The strain was mesophilic, neutrophilic, and requiring NaCl for growth, but neither halophilic nor halotolerant. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the strain was most closely related to genera of the order Chromatiales in the class Gammaproteobacteria. The most closely related genera showed less than 90% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and included Thioalkalispira (89.9%), Thioalkalivibrio (88.0%-89.5%), Ectothiorhodospira (87.9%-89.3%), Chromatium (88.3%-88.9%), and Lamprocystis (87.7%-88.9%), which represent three different families of the order Chromatiales. Phylogenetic analyses showed that this Antarctic strain represented a distinct phylogenetic lineage in the order Chromatiales and could not be assigned to any of the defined families in the order. Phenotypic characteristics, including primarily non-phototrophic, non-alkaliphilic, non-halophilic, and obligately aerobic chemoheterotrophic properties, differentiated the strain from other related genera. The very low sequence similarities (<90%) and distant relationships between the strain and members of the order suggested that the strain merited classification as a novel genus within a novel family in the order Chromatiales. On the basis of these taxonomic traits, a novel genus and species is proposed, Granulosicoccus antarcticus gen. nov., sp. nov., in a new family Granulosicoccaceae fam. nov. Strain $IMCC3135^T\;(=KCCM42676^T=NBRC\;102684^T)$ is the type strain of Granulosicoccus antarcticus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.387-397
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• 2023

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a heme-containing enzyme that catalyzes hydroxylation reactions with various substrate molecules. Steroid hydroxylases are particularly useful for effectively introducing hydroxyl groups into a wide range of steroids in the pharmaceutical industry. This study reports a newly identified CYP steroid hydroxylase (BaCYP106A6) from the bacterium Bacillus sp. and characterizes it using an in vitro enzyme assay and structural investigation. Bioconversion assays indicated that BaCYP106A1 catalyzes the hydroxylation of progesterone and androstenedione, whereas no or low conversion was observed with 11β-hydroxysteroids such as cortisol, corticosterone, dexamethasone, and prednisolone. In addition, the crystal structure of BaCYP106A6 was determined at a resolution of 2.8 Å to investigate the configuration of the substrate-binding site and understand substrate preference. This structural characterization and comparison with other bacterial steroid hydroxylase CYPs allowed us to identify a unique Arg295 residue that may serve as the key residue for substrate specificity and regioselectivity in BaCYP106A6. This observation provides valuable background for further protein engineering to design commercially useful CYP steroid hydroxylases with different substrate specificities.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제52권3호
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• pp.388-390
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• 2016

부식산(humic acid)을 이용하여 저온에서 배양된 Pedobacter sp. PAMC 27299는 남극 바톤 반도(Barton Peninsula) King George Island의 해안가 이끼(moss debris)로부터 분리되었다. 본 연구에서는 Pedobacter sp. PAMC 27299의 유전체 서열을 해독하였으며 크기 6,147,290 bp, G+C 함량 40.54%의 PAMC 27299는 지구 온난화 관련 저온적응 부식산 분해 효소를 보유하는 것으로 확인되었다.