• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

Harmful algal blooms (HABs or red tides), caused by uncontrolled proliferation of marine phytoplankton, impose a severe environmental problem and occasionally threaten even public health. We sequenced the genome of an EPS-producing marine bacterium Hahella chejuensis that produces a red pigment with the lytic activity against red-tide dinoflagellates at parts per billion level. H. chejuensis is the first sequenced species among algicidal bacteria as well as in the order Oceanospirillales. Sequence analysis indicated a distant relationship to the Pseudomonas group. Its 7.2-megabase genome encodes basic metabolic functions and a large number of proteins involved in regulation or transport. One of the prominent features of the H. chejuensis genome is a multitude of genes of functional equivalence or of possible foreign origin. A significant proportion (${\sim}23%$) of the genome appears to be of foreign origin, i.e. genomic islands, which encode genes for biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides, toxins, polyketides or non-ribosomal peptides, iron utilization, motility, type III protein secretion and pigment production. Molecular structure of the algicidal pigment was determined to be prodigiosin by LC-ESI-MS/MS and NMR analyses. The genomics-based research on H. chejuensis opens a new possibility for controlling algal blooms by exploiting biotic interactions in the natural environment and provides a model in marine bioprospecting through genome research.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.92-98
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• 1996

A chitinase-producing bacterium was isolated from seashore mud around Beobseongpo in Chunnam province by selective enrichment culture, and among it, one isolate which was the best in producing of chitinase was selected. Nutrient or MacConkey medium was confirmed with secreting of prodigiosin pigment by Serratia sp. JM, and it was performed by the production of clear zone on medium containing chitin. Serratia sp. JM was almost same compared with Serratia marcescens ATCC 27117 in respect of its morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics except succinic, urea and pyruvic acid. Serratia sp. JM was resistant to tetracycline but was not resistant to kanamycin and chloramphenicol. The optimal temperature and pH for the production of chitinase from Serratia sp. JM were $30^{\circ}C$ and 7.5, respectively. Production of chitinase and pH in the medium increased until the cultivation of 120 hours, but after 120 hours, they were decreased due to the acetic acid accumulated from degradation of chitin by Serratia sp. JM.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1978

Among clincal isolates, most strains of Serratia marcescens were belonged to nonpigmented form, and several attempts were undertaken for the rapid and simple identification of these strains. Prodigiosin production of non-pigmented strains was uniformly negative in many kinds of solid media as well as in nutrient agar added with various amino acids and thiamine. On blood agar, colonies of S. marcescens turned gradually to grey or dark color by the lapse of incubation period and this characteristic seems to be able to utilize as an indicator for a primary isolation, and also generally paralleled with the results of dehydration of Tween 80 and lipase activity in soy bean oil medium although these reactions were by no means specific to S. marcescens. In order to rule out these non-specific reactions, other tests such as oxidase and sucrose fermentation are required for the final confirmation of this species.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.191-195
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• 1984

In order to study on the pigment formation of Serratia marcescens, the synthesis of prodigiosin was examined in the presence of a wide range of concentration of detergents. A high elevation of pigment formation was obtained in case of the treatment with SDC and SAP. And the population growth of the bacteria was increased by SDC and SAP, in the concentration of optimum concentration of pigment formation. The alkaline phosphatase activity was also increased in the treatment of SAP, SDC and SDS. The possible mechanism of the detergents on enhancement of pigment formation could be explained by an increase of enzyme activity and membrane transport.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1341-1344
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• 2005

Bioassay-guided fractionation of $CHCl_{3}$ extract from the fermentation broth of a sponge Mycale plumose-derived actinomycete Saccharopolyspora sp. nov., led to the isolation of two known prodigiosin analogs - metacycloprodigiosin (1) and undecylprodigiosin (2). These compounds exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against five cancer cell lines: P388, HL60, A-549, BEL­7402, and SPCA4. This is the first report on the significant cytotoxicity of metacycloprodigiosin (1) against human cancer cell lines.