• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.379-384
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• 1997

The biodegradable characteristics of poly-$\beta$-hydroxybutyrate(PHB) film by fun맥 and soil burial are Investigated. As the results of the American Standards for Testing and Materials(ASTM) method, the you of Aspergillus niger was apparent on the PHB containing plate. This suggests that PHB was utilized as the sole carbon source by Aspergillus niger and ASTM method may have applications as measuring means of biome gradability of polyhydroxyalkanoic acid(PHA). PHB film was studied by monitoring the time-dependant changes in weight loss of PHB film under 30% and relative humidity 80 % during pot-test. As the results of pot-test, PHB film was decomposed about 87 % in 30 days by soul microorganisms. PHB film was more slowly degraded than PHB/HV film.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.310-316
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• 2001

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthase catalyzed the last enzymic step to synthesize the intracellular PHB of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. No PHB was detected when the phbC coding for PhB synthase was interrupted, and its expression was regulated at the level of transcription. The cellular PHB content increased about four- to six-fold during the growth transition from the exponential to the early stationary phase under both aerobic and photoheterotrophic conditions. The PHB content during the aerobic growth seemed to be determined by the PhB synthase activity. However, the PHB synthase activity of photoheterotrophically grown cells did not correlate with the PhB content, suggesting a photoheterotrophic regulation different from the aerobic control. Thus, the PHB content of R. sphaeroides was regulated at the transcription level only under aerobic conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.129-133
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• 2002

The fungus, Emericellopsis minima W2, capable of degrading poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was isolated from a waste water sample. Production of the PHB depolymerase from E. minima W2 (PhaZ/ sub Emi/) was significantly repressed in the presence of glucose. PhaZ/ sub Emi/ was purified by column chromatography on Octyl-Sepharose CL-4B and Sephadex G-100. The molecular mass of the PhaZ/ sub Emi/), which consisted of a single polypeptide chain, was estimated to be 48.0 kDa by SDS-PAGE and its pI vague was 4.4. The maximum activity of the PhaZ/ sub Emi/ was observed at pH 9.0 and 55$\^{C}$. It was significantly inactivated by 1mM dithiothreitol, 2mM diisopropyl fluorphosphate, 0.1mM Tween 80, and 0.1 mM Triton X-l00, but insensitive to phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and N-ethylmaleimide. The PhaZ/ sub Emi/ efficiently hydrolyzed PHB and its copolyester with 30 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate, but did not act on poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate). It also hydrolyzed p-nitrophenylacetate and p-nitrophenylbutyrate but hardly affected the longer-chain forms. The main hydrolysis product of PHB was identified as a dimer of 3-hydroxybutyrate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1076-1083
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• 2023

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a biodegradable and biocompatible bioplastic. Effective PHB degradation in nutrient-poor environments is required for industrial and practical applications of PHB. To screen for PHB-degrading strains, PHB double-layer plates were prepared and three new Bacillus infantis species with PHB-degrading ability were isolated from the soil. In addition, phaZ and bdhA of all isolated B. infantis were confirmed using a Bacillus sp. universal primer set and established polymerase chain reaction conditions. To evaluate the effective PHB degradation ability under nutrient-deficient conditions, PHB film degradation was performed in mineral medium, resulting in a PHB degradation rate of 98.71% for B. infantis PD3, which was confirmed in 5 d. Physical changes in the degraded PHB films were analyzed. The decrease in molecular weight due to biodegradation was confirmed using gel permeation chromatography and surface erosion of the PHB film was observed using scanning electron microscopy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on B. infantis showing its excellent PHB degradation ability and is expected to contribute to PHB commercialization and industrial composting.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.196-200
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• 2004

The supra molecular weight poly(〔R〕-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PH B), having a molecular weight greater than 2 million Da, has recently been found to possess improved mechanical properties compared with the normal molecular weight PHB, which has a molecular weight of less than 1 million Da. However, applications for this PHB have been hampered due to the difficulty of its production. Reported here, is the development of a new metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strain and its fermentation for high level production of supra molecular weight PHB. Recombinant E. coli strains, harboring plasm ids of different copy numbers containing the Alcaligenes latus PHB biosynthesis genes, were cultured and the molecular weights of the accumulated PHB were compared. When the recombinant E. coli XL1-Blue, harboring a medium-copy-number pJC2 containing the A. latus PHB biosynthesis genes, was cultivated by fed-batch culture at pH 6.0, supra molecular weight PHB could be produced at up to 89.8 g/L with a productivity of 2.07 g PHB/L-h. The molecular weight of PHB obtained under these conditions was as high as 22 MDa, exceeding by an order of magnitude the molecular weight of PHB typically produced in Ralstonia eutropha or recombinant E. coli.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2002

An extracellular PHB depolymerase was purified from P. simplicissimum LAR13 cultural medium by Sepharose CL-6B chromatography. When the fungus was grown in a basal salt medium with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) as the sole carbon source, PHB depolymerase production reached maximum at its stationary phase. The mycelial growth rate was higher at 37$^{\circ}C$ than at 30$^{\circ}C$ and even higher than at 25$^{\circ}C$, However, the enzyme production was lower at 37$^{\circ}C$ than 30$^{\circ}C$ or 25$^{\circ}C$. The isolated enzyme is composed of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular mass of about 36 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE. The optimum conditions for the enzyme activity are pH 5.0 and 45$^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was stable for 30 min at a temperature lower than 50$^{\circ}C$, and stable at pH higher than 2.0 but it was unstable at pH 1.0.1 mM Fe$\^$2+/ reduced the enzyme activity by 56% and the enzyme was inhibited almost completely by 4 mM Fe$\^$2+/ . The enzyme was partially inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and was very sensitive to diazo-DL-norleucine methyl esters dithiothreitol and mercuric ion. However, N-p - tosyl - L - Iysinechloromethyl ketone, p -hydroxymercuricbenzoate and N- acetylimidazole had no influence upon its activity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1625-1630
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• 2008

A microorganism capable of producing high level of poly-3-hydoxybutyrate (PHB) from xylose was isolated from soil. The isolated strain J-65 was identified as Bacillus megaterium based on the morphological, biochemical and molecular biological characteristics. The optimum temperature and pH for the growth of B. megaterium J-65 were $37^{\circ}C$ and 8.0, respectively. The optimum medium composition for the cell growth was 2% xylose, 0.25% $(NH_4)_2SO_4$, 0.3% $Na_2HPO_4{\cdot}12H_2O$, and 0.1% $KH_2PO_4$. The optimum condition for PHB accumulation was same to the optimum condition for cell growth. Copolymer of ${\beta}$-hydroxybutyric and ${\beta}$-hydroxyvaleric acid was produced when propionic acid was added to shake flasks containing 20 g/l of xylose. Fermenter culture was carried out to produce the high concentration of PHB. In batch culture, cell mass was 9.82 g/l and PHB content was 35% of dry cell weight. PHB produced by B. megaterium J-65 was identified as homopolymer of 3-hydoxybutyric acid by GC and NMR.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.1031-1037
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• 2001

By a sequential action of ${\beta}$-ketothiolase and acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, two molecules of acetyl-CoA re converted into D-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, a substrate for PHB synthase to form poly-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, a substrate for PHB synthase to form poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) of rhodobacter sphaeroides. The ${\beta}$-ketothiolase gene, phbA, and acetoacetyl-CoA reductase gene, phbB, were cloned and analyzed for their expression. Enzyme activities of ${\beta}$-ketothiolase and acetoacetyl-CoA reductase showed constitutive levels during aerobic and photoheterotrophic growth of R. sphaeroides. In addition, no difference of each enzyme activity was observed between cells grown aerobically and photoheterotrophically. The constitutive level of the enzyme activities are regulated according to the growth phases along with growth conditions. Thus, phbAB expression is not determinative in regulating the PB content. On the other hand, phbA-deleted cell AZI accumulated only $10\%$ PHB of the wild-type, and an elevated dosage of phbAB in trans in R. sphaeroides resulted in a higher content of PHB, indicating that phbAB codes for the enzymes responsible for providing the main supply of subsyrate for PHB synthase. PHB formation by an alternative pathway that does not does not depend on the phbA-and phbB-coding enzymes is also proposed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.714-718
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• 1998

Various mutants either lacking or having decreased levels of light-harvesting complexes and reaction center complex were obtained with a high frequency by an increased formation of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. One of the photosynthesis-defective mutants, PY-17, which was devoid of any of the light-harvesting complexes (B800-850, B875) as well as the reaction center complex, was analyzed further. The mutant showed substantial transcription of the puhA, pufKBALMX, and pucBAC operons coding for the structural proteins of the photosynthetic complexes although each of the activities was lower than that of the wild type. Translation of the pufKBALMX and pucBAC operons were also active in the mutant although with activities different from the corresponding one of the wild type. From these results the mutation appears to exert its effect at the post-translational level of the photosynthetic complex assembly. Complementation of the photosynthesis-defective phenotype of the mutant was achieved with an about 12-kb DNA region containing the puhA gene. The relationship between the formation of PHB and photosynthetic complexes is discussed.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.872-876
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• 2001

Topological changes caused by the alkaline and enzymatic attacks of solution-grown, chain-folded lamellar crystals (SGCs) of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] P(3HB) have been studied in order to investigate the chain-folding structure in P(3HB) crystal regions. NaOH and an extracellular PHB depolymerase purified from Alcaligenes faecalis T1 were used for alkaline and enzymatic hydrolysis, respectively. The measurements were performed on crystals attached to a substrate which is inactive to degradation mediums. Both alkaline and enzymatic attacks lead to a breakup of the lamellar crystals along the crystallographic b-axis during initial erosion. Since hydrolysis preferentially occurs in amorphous regions, this morphological result reflects relatively loosely packed chains in core parts of lamellar crystals. Additionally, it was supported by the ridge formation along the b-axis in the lamellar crystals after thermal treatment at a low temperature because of the thermally sensitive nature of the loosely packed chains in lamellar crystals. However, the alkaline hydrolysis accompanied the chain erosions or scissions in quasi-regular folded lamellar surfaces due to smaller size of alkaline ions in comparison to the enzyme, resulting in the decrease of molecular weight.