• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.302-311
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• 2004

Comamonas testosteroni (formerly Pseudomonas sp.) NCIMB 10643 can grow on biphenyl and alkylbenzenes $(C_2-C_7)$ via 3-substituted catechols. Thus, to identify the genes encoding the degradation, transposon-mutagenesis was carried out using pAG408, a promoter-probe mini-transposon with a green fluorescent protein (GFP), as a reporter. A mutant, NT-1, which was unable to grow on alkylbenzenes and biphenyl, accumulated catechols and exhibited an enhanced expression of GFP upon exposure to these substrates, indicating that the gfp had been inserted in a gene encoding a broad substrate range catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. The genes (2,826 bp) flanking the gfp cloned from an SphI-digested fragment contained three complete open reading frames that were designated bphCDorfl. The deduced amino acid sequences of bphCDorfl were identical to 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (BphC), 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2,4-dienoate hydrolase (BphD), and OrfI, respectively, that are all involved in the degradation of biphenyl/4-chlorobiphenyl (bph) by Ralstonia oxalatica A5. The deduced amino acid sequence of the orfl revealed a similarity to those of outer membrane proteins belonging to the OmpW family. The introduction of the bphCDorfl genes enabled the NT-l mutant to grow on aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, PCR analysis indicated that the DNA sequence and gene organization of the bph operon were closely related to those in the bph operon from Tn4371 identified in strain A5. Furthermore, strain A5 was also able to grow on a similar set of alkylbenzenes as strain NCIMB 10643, demonstrating that, among the identified aromatic hydrocarbon degradation pathways, the bph degradation pathway related to Tn4371 was the most versatile in catabolizing a variety of aromatic hydrocarbons of mono- and bicyclic benzenes.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of application of spent mushroom compost(SMC) on soil chemical properties and tomato growth. After the mushroom has been harvested, the SMC contains a lot of organic material, different microorganism and high density of mushroom hypha. SMC of white button mushroom(Agaricus bisporus) contained diverse microorganisms including fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. and actinomycetes. These isolates showed strong antagonistic to bacterial wi1t(Ralstonia solanacearum) and fusarium wi1t(Fusarium oxysporum) of tomato. The growth and sugar content of tomato showed no significant difference with other treatments by stage of maturity. The EC, exchangeable K and Ca contents of the soil during growing stage were increased in comparison to those of farmhouse practice, but available phosphate decreased. Microbial population in the soil in all growing stages showed no significant difference with other treatments, but yield of tomato decreased in some way in comparison to farmhouse practice. As the result of analysis on chemical property of soil and plant growth and yield of tomato, it seems likely that SMC of white button mushroom(Agaricus bisporus) may be used as substitute of practice compost on cultivation of tomato.