• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.20-28
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• 2011

Phylogenetic analysis of two cellulase genes, xynB1 and bglA2, and the groEL1 gene from 34 Sorangium cellulosum strains isolated in Korea suggested that there are at least five subgroups in S. cellulosum, which is the most proficient producer of secondary metabolites among myxobacteria. This analysis also revealed diversity among the isolated S. cellulosum. It appeared that at least 30 out of 34 strains are different each other.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.170-173
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• 2011

The epothilone biosynthetic gene cluster (epoA~F, epoK) of Sorangium cellulosum KYC3013, an epothilone producing myxobacterium isolated in Korea, was cloned. When the amino acid sequences of the encoded proteins were compared with those from S. cellulosum SMP44, S. cellulosum So ce90, and S. cellulosum So0157-2, which were isolated in other continents or country, the proteins from different strains were 97.4-99.8% identical each other. This suggested that the epothilone-biosynthetic gene clusters are well conserved in S. cellulosum strains.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.1218-1220
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• 2009

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2004

Drug resistance is one of the most significant impediments to successful chemotherapy of cancer. Multidrug-resistance Is characterized by decreased cellular sensitivity to anticancer agents due to the overexpression of P-glycoprotein. By using adriamycin-resistance CL02 cancer cells, we undertook the screening fur agents which were effective to multidrug-resistant cancer cells from strains of the species Sorangium cellulosum isolated in our laboratory. Sorangium cellulose, cellulose-degrading myxobacteria have recently proved to be a rich source of novel anticancer agents. One of the significant examples is the promising anticancer agent epothilone. JW 1006 is the first strain of Sorangium cellulosum which was selected by us for the isolation of a metabolite by a biological screening because of a high cytotoxic activity against the CL02 cancer cells. Cytotoxicity-guided chromatographic fractionation of the culture broth led to the Isolation of two active principles, disorazole $A_1$ and $A_2$. They showed potent cytotoxicity against CL02 cancer cells with $IC_{50}$ values in the picomolar range, and were as active against drug-resistant cancer cells CL02 and CP70 as against the corresponding sensitive cells.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2009

591 strains of myxobacteria that grew on cellulose as a sole carbon source were isolated from soils collected from various locations in Korea. Morphological characteristics such as the shape of cells, colonies and fruiting bodies and 16S rRNA sequences of the isolates suggested that all the isolates are Sorangium cellulosum. An antifungal assay has indicated that at least 20 strains among the 114 isolates tested produce antifungal substances inhibiting growth of Candida albicans.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1416-1422
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• 2008

Epothilone and its analogs are a potent new class of anticancer compounds produced by myxobacteria. Thus, in an effort to identify new myxobacterial strains producing epothilone and its analogs, cellulose-degrading myxobacteria were isolated from Korean soils, and 13 strains carrying epothilone biosynthetic gene homologs were screened using a polymerase chain reaction. A migration assay revealed that Sorangium cellulosum KYC3013, 3016, 3017, and 3018 all produced microtubule-stabilizing compounds, and an LC-MS/MS analysis showed that S. cellulosum KYC3013 synthesized epothilone A.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.135-137
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• 2008

The metabolic engineering of epothilones, as secondary metabolites, was investigated using Sorangium cellulosum to achieve the selective production of epothilone B, a potent anticancer agent. Thus, the propionyl-CoA synthetase gene (prpE) from Ralstonia solanacearum was heterologously expressed in S. cellulosum to increase the production of epothilone B. Propionyl-CoA synthetase converts propionate into propionyl-CoA, a potent precursor of epothilone B. The recombinant S. celluloslim containing the prpE gene exhibited a significant increase in the resolution of epothilones B/A, with an epothilone B to A ratio of 127 to 1, which was 100 times higher than that of the wild-type cells, demonstrating its potential use for the selective production of epothilone B.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1653-1659
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• 2015

Epothilone, which is produced by the myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum, contributes significant value in medicinal development. However, under submerged culture conditions, S. cellulosum will accumulate to form bacterial clumps, which hinder nutrient and metabolite transportation. Therefore, the production of epothilone by liquid fermentation is limited. In this study, diatomite-based porous ceramics were made from diatomite, paraffin, and poremaking agent (saw dust). Appropriate methods to modify the porous ceramics were also identified. After optimizing the preparation and modification conditions, we determined the optimal prescription to prepare high-performance porous ceramics. The structure of porous ceramics can provide a solid surface area where S. cellulosum can grow and metabolize to prevent the formation of bacterial clumps. S. cellulosum cells that do not form clumps will change their erratic metabolic behavior under submerged culture conditions. As a result, the unstable production of epothilone by this strain can be changed in the fermentation process, and the purpose of increasing epothilone production can be achieved. After 8 days of fermentation under optimized conditions, the epothilone yield reached 90.2 mg/l, which was increased four times compared with the fermentation without porous ceramics.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1215-1216
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• 2007

• KSBB Journal
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• v.20 no.5 s.94
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• pp.371-375
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• 2005

In the course of our search for compounds effective to multidrug-resistant cancer cells from myxobacteria with the adriamycin-resistant cancer cell line CL02, we found cytotoxic activity against the CL02 cells in culture extract of Sorangium cellulosum JW1045. Activity-guided fractionation of the culture extract led to the isolation of an active principle, chivosazole F, This compound showed high cytotoxic activity against cultured human cancer cells. The $IC_{50}$ values, measured by a SRB assay with different cell lines, ranged from 0.1 to 10 ng/ml. Furthermore chivosazole F was as active against drug-resistant cancer cells CL02 and CP70 as against the corresponding sensitive cells.