• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 1987

Soybean rhizobia were isolated from 101 soybean (Glycine max.) cultivar which had been grown for the breeding experiment in Korea. Seven strains of the fast-growing soybean rhizobia and nine strains of the slow-growing soybean rhizobia were selected on the basis of their growth rate in AMA medium and their high ability of nodulation. The slow-growing soybean rhizobia were identified as Bradyrhizobium japonicum in the acetylene-reducing activity, microbial characteristics, and biochemical characteristics whereas the fast-growing soybean rhizobia were very similar to Rhizobium fredii.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.238-244
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• 2010

Rhizobia are well-known for their ability to infect and nodulate legume roots, forming a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis of agricultural importance. In addition, recent studies have shown that rhizobia can colonize roots and aerial plant tissues of rice as a model plant of the Graminaceae family. Here we show that rhizobia can invade tobacco, a model plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. Inoculation of seedling. roots with five GFP-tagged rhizobial species followed by microscopy and viable plating analyses indicated their colonization of the surface and interior of the whole vegetative plant. Blockage of ascending epiphytic migration by coating the hypocotyls with Vaseline showed that the endophytic rhizobia can exit the leaf interior through stomata and colonize the external phyllosphere habitat. These studies indicate rhizobia can colonize both below- and above-ground tissues of tobacco using a dynamic invasion process that involves both epiphytic and endophytic lifestyles.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1661-1677
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• 2006

Rhizobium and related genera are soil bacteria with great metabolic plasticity. These microorganisms survive in many different environments and are capable of eliciting the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules on legumes. The successful establishment of symbiosis is precisely regulated and requires a series of signal exchanges between the two partners. Quorum sensing (QS) is a prevalent form of population density-dependent gene regulation. Recently, increasing evidence indicates that rhizobial quorum sensing provides a pervasive regulatory network, which plays a more generalized role in the physiological activity of free-living rhizobia, as well as during symbiosis. Several rhizobia utilize multiple, overlapping quorum sensing systems to regulate diverse properties, including conjugal transfer and copy number control of plasmids, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, rhizosphere-related functions, and cell growth. Genomic and proteomic analyses have begun to reveal the wide range of functions under quorum-sensing control.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 1991

Two malonate-specific enzymes, malonyl-CoA synthetase and malonamidase, were found in free-living cultures of Rhizobium japonicum, Rhizobium meliloti, and Rhizobium trifolii, that infect plant roots where contain a high concentration of malonate. Malonyl-CoA synthetase catalyzes the formation of malonyl-CoA, AMP, and PPi directly from malonate, coenzyme A, and ATP in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$ Malonamidase is a novel enzyme that catalyzes hydrolysis and malonyl transfer of malonamate, and forms malonohydroxamate from malonate and hydroxylamine. Both enzymes are highly specific for malonate. These results show that Rhizobia have enzymes able to metabolize malonate and suggest that malonate may be used in symbiotic carbon and nitrogen metabolism.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.38-49
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• 1986

In order to improve effectiveness of rhizobia-legume symbiotic nitrogen fixation, ecological and physiological characteristics of indigenous rhizobia distributed in Korea soil, that is, the effects of soybean cultivation, physico-chemical properties and climate on the population of indigenous rhizobia and other soil microbes were investigated. The results were summarized as follows: The population of indigenous rhizobia were ranged from $5.1{\times}10^4$ cells to $196.8{\times}10^4$ cells per gram of soil in soybean cultivated soils but from $1.6{\times}10^4$ cells to $78.6{\times}10^4$ cells per gram of soil in soybean un-cultivated soils sampled from 9 different agro-climate zone. The highest population was observed in a soybean cultivated loamy soil from southern part of Korea. The content of available phosphate, exchangeable Ca, Mg, Cu, and B in soil were positively correlated but active Fe, exchangeable Al, Na, and $SO_4$ were inversely correlated to the population of indigenous rhizobia. The inverse relationship was observed between the number of indigenous rhizobia and actinomycetes.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 1987

In order to improve effectiveness of rhizobia- legume symbiotic nitrogen fixation, ecological and physiological characteristics of indigenous rhizobia distributed in Korea, that is, symbiotic effectiveness of indigenous soybean rhizobia, nitrate reductase activities of the soybean bacteroid from five different soils, and differences of host-infection abilities among the soybean cultivars under population densities of the same indigenous soybean rhizobia, were investigated. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The number of indigenous soybean rhizobia was ranged from $9.2{\times}10^2$ cells per gram of soil in calcareous soil II to $42.4{\times}10^3$ cells per gram of soil in calcareous soil I in Danyang. 2. The symbiotic effectiveness of indigenous soybean rhizobia from five different soils was high in the case of soybean continuously cultivated, and calcareous soil I that population densities of indigenous soybean rhizobia were observed highly. 3. Inverse relationship was observed between total nitrogenase activity (TNA) and nitrate reductase activity (NRA) from the soybean bacteroids ($r=-0.502^*$), but the correlation between nitrate reductase and specific nitrogenase activities (SNA) could be devided into two groups. It was classified into group I which is high in SNA and low in NRA, and group II which is low in SNA and high in NRA. 4. The infection ability of the indigenous soybean rhizobia in the same soil conditions showed the reciprocal difference among each soybean cultivars. In Kwangkyo and Jangyeup, the symbiotic effectiveness appeared by infection of indigenous soybean rhizobia was higher than it of the other soybean cultivars.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.13-17
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• 2004

An interaction between Legumes and Rhizobia establishes a symbiotic new organ, the nodule that supports atmospheric nitrogen fIxation. The specific communications between the microbes and legume plants are necessary for both nodulation and nitrogen fixation. Through genetic and biochemical analyses several genes playing pivotal roles in nodulation had been identified to be a receptor kinase like CALVATAl involved signal transduction for development. This emphasizes peptides as signals to be transmitted for a short or long distance transport for nodulation. In addition, a quorum sensing in rhizobia has become a focus as counterpart signal. In an attempt to reveal proteins factors and signaling molecules acting on nodulation, proteome analyses of nodule and the proteins in apoplast upon communication between Legumes and Rhizobia were performed.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.275-283
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• 1987

In order to find out the effectiveness of nitrogen fixation in rhizobia-legume symbiotic relationship, ecological and physiological characteristics of indigenous rhizobia distributed in Korean soils, that is, dissimilatory nitrate reduction patterns of indigenous soybean rhizobia isolated from four different soils, and differences in one-and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic pattern of proteins among the each subgroups of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Rhizobium fredii, were investigated. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The indigenous soybean rhizobia isolated from four different soils could be classified into 4 groups depending on growth rate and dissimilatory nitrate reduction pattern, that is, $S_1$ (slow-grower; Bradyrhizobium japonicum and nitrate denitrifier), $S_2$ (slow-grower; Bradyrhizobium japonicum and nitrate respirer), $F_1$ (fast-grower; Rhizobium fredii and denitrifier), and $F_2$ (fast-grower; Rhizobium fredii and nitrate respirer). 2. The population ratio of fast- to slow-growing R. japonicum was 39% to 61%, and the ratio of denitrifier to nitrate respirer was 31% to 69% and 89% to 11% in fast and slow-grower, respectively. Some differences were observed between fast- and slow-growing R. japonicum but no significant difference was observed between denitrifier and nitrate respirer within same growth type by one and two dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.312-317
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• 1988

The genes for ribosomal RNA in Rhizobium meliloti and Bradyrhizobium japonicum were analyzed by southern hybridization of BamHI, EcoRI, HindIII digested chromosomal DNA with purified 5' $^{32}P$-labeled 16S and 23S rRNA. The big differences in the hybridization pattern of both rhizobia were found. The comparative results were discussed in relation to the copy number and conservativity of restriction sites in the rRNA genes of both rhizobia.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.5
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• pp.40-51
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• 1987

This experiment was conducted to search for Rhizobia with good nitrogen fixation abilities and to investigate their physiological characteristics isolated from 12 soybean cultivars and the affinities of root nodule bacteria with soybeans. The results obtained were as follows; Based on colors, Rhizobia grown on YMA medium were divided into 3 groups, i. e., white, translucent and transparent, amounting to 60, 30 and 10%, respectively. In litmus milk reaction, the strains which produced alkali, acid serum, alkaline serum and acid reached to 51, 29, 9 and 11%, respectively. Strains, S022, and S096 were slow-growers and produced alkaili, while strains, S080, S-090, and S118 were fastgrowers and produced acid. The growth of root nodule bacteria on YMA medium was favorable between the initial pHs of 6.0~7.0. Glutamine, asparagine and al1antoin as nitrogen sources enhanced the growth of root nodule bacteria. All the strains tested formed nodules on the soybean roots, and the strains with good symbiotic nitrogen fixation abilities that had white color, small colony, nitrate reduction abilities and no nitrite reduction abilities showed comparatively high nitrogen fixing activities. Some strains varied in nitrogen fixing activities according to soybean cultivars, and a few strains fanned ineffective nodules which showed no nitrogen fixing activity.