• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.365-367
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• 1999

A fuel cell type biosensor for lactate was developed using a metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella putrefaciens IR-1. Under the operational conditions, the bacterial cell suspension generated the current without an electrochemical mediator in the presence of lactate. The current was proportional to the lactate concentration up to 30 mM.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.155-159
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• 2008

A local isolate of Aspergillus niger was cultivated under optimal growth conditions on wheat bran in solid state fermentation. Filter paperase from fermented bran was separately extracted with different solvents to test the recovery of the enzyme. Among solvents tested, distilled water served as the best leachate, thus the conditions were further optimized with distilled water. After two washes of fermented bran with distilled water for 1.5 h each under stationary conditions at 1 g wheat bran: 5 mL distilled water, the maximum recovery of 13.5 $Ug^{-1}$ of wheat bran was obtained.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.497-501
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• 2005

This study deals with the removal of mercury species using a packed-bed column with spherical aminated chitosan material. These adsorbents revealed a high adsorption capacity for mercury species. Experiments with feed solutions of 10 ppm Hg dissolved in distilled water showed an excellent removal with a sharp increase of the filter effluent concentration after a total throughput of 900 bed volumes of feed water. Up to $95\%$ desorption was reached by using 3 bed volumes of 0.01 N EDTA solution. EDTA could be recovered by means of sulfuric acid with about $75\%$ efficiency. Almost the same results were obtained in repeated sorption and desorption experiments at identical conditions. The experiments demonstrated that the sorbents possessed practically no sorption capacity for alkaline earth ions ($Ca^{2+}\;and\;Mg^{2+}$). Their influence on the sorption of mercury was negligible. In experiments with spiked tap water of the Karlsruhe Research Centre and a feed mercury concentration of 0.01 mg/l, the breakthrough of Hg was observed only after a total throughput of about 6,000 bed volumes of feed water.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제22권8호
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• pp.1113-1117
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• 2012

Shigella sonnei is a causal agent of fever, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrheal disease. The present study describes a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for the specific detection of S. sonnei using a primer pair based on the methylase gene for the amplification of a 325 bp DNA fragment. The qPCR primer set for the accurate diagnosis of Shigella sonnei was developed from publically available genome sequences. This quantitative PCR-based method will potentially simplify and facilitate the diagnosis of this pathogen and guide disease management.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.96-101
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• 2002

Background: Aerobic training can be defined as any physical exercise that increases the heart rate and enhances the body's intake of oxygen long enough to benefit the condition of body. Running, cycling, and swimming are examples of aerobic activities. This type of exercise optimises immune functions. Recently several experimental findings suggested that the regular swimming training increase immune response, but there have been very few reports which compare warm water exercise with cold water exercise in spleen lymphocytes. Methods: This study was designed to examine the effects of regular swimming training on Index, the number of lymphocytes, proliferative activity and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by splenocytes in BALB/c mice. Thirty six mice (6 week old) were performed 10 weeks of regular swimming training and they were divided into 6 groups according to the regular swimming training (CRG: control resting group, CEG: control exercise group, WRG: warm water trained resting group, WEG: warm water trained exercise group, CORG: cold water trained resting group, COEG: cold water exercise group). Analytical items were weight change, spleen index, the number of lymphocytes, proliferative activity and production of ROS. All data were expressed as mean and standard deviation by using SPSS package program (ver. 10.0). Results: The swimming training significantly decreased body weight, and increased spleen index, the number of lymphocytes and proliferative activity in the presence or absence of Con A and LPS added conditions. For the WRG and CORG, the quantity of ROS from splenocytes was higher than CRG, whereas, ROS by spleen lymphocytes was lower following 90 min acute exercise stress. Conclusion: These results suggested that the swimming training not only increases the number of lymphocytes but also increases proliferative activity by splenocytes in vitro.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.363-369
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different sanitizers and contact times on storage quality and microbial growth in fresh-cut broccoli. Fresh broccoli samples were cut into small pieces, washed each for 90 s and 180 s in normal tap water (TW), $100\;{\mu}/l$ chlorinated water (CL, pH 7), electrolyzed water (EW, pH 7.2) containing $100\;{\mu}/l$ free chlorine, or $2\;{\mu}/l$ ozonated water ($O_3$). Then, samples were packaged in 30-${\mu}m$ polyethylene bags and stored at $5^{\circ}C$ for 9 days. No significant differences were observed in gas composition and color parameters ($L^*$, $a^*$, $b^*$, and hue angle) among different sanitizers with contact times. No off-odor was detected during the storage. A longer contact time was not effective in reducing microbial population, except with $O_3$ washing. $O_3$ with 90 s was not much effective in reducing microbial population compared with Cl or EW. However, samples washed with $O_3$ for 180 s observed the lowest numbers of total aerobic and coliform plate counts. The result suggested that, a longer contact time of ozone can be used as a potential sanitizer to maintain the microbial quality and safety of fresh-cut broccoli.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권11호
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• pp.1627-1635
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• 2013

Mitochondria often play central roles in apoptotic pathways, and disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (${\Delta}{\psi}m$) has been observed in various cells undergoing apoptosis. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection induces apoptosis in permissive cells; however, investigations of mitochondria-targeted apoptosis in HCMV-infected human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells have been limited. Here, we investigated the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in HCMV-infected HFF cells. Flow cytometry analysis using JC-1 revealed that HCMV infection induces disruption of ${\Delta}{\psi}m$ in HFF cells when administered 24 h post-infection (hpi), and this disruption was maximized at 48 hpi. Moreover, cytochrome c, normally a mitochondrial inner membrane protein, was detected in cytoplasmic extracts of HCMV-infected cells, but not mock-infected cells, by western blot analysis at 24 hpi. A caspase activity assay based on fluorescence spectrophotometry using a fluorogenic substrate revealed an increase in caspase-3 activity at 48 hpi in HCMV-infected cells. Caspase-8 activity was increased at 72 hpi in HCMV-infected cells. These results imply that HCMV infection induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in HFF cells.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.13-20
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• 2005

Chlorella viruses are large icosahedral, plaque-forming, dsDNA viruses that infect certain unicellular, chlorellalike green algae. The genomic DNA of over 300 kb contains many useful genes and promoters. Over 40 chlorella viruses have been isolated from fresh water in Korea since 1998. The viruses were amplified initially in chlorella strain NC64A, and pure isolates were obtained by repeated plaque isolation. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed similar but distinct protein patterns, both among the group of purified viruses and in comparison with the prototype chlorella virus PBCV-1. Digestions of the 330- to 350-kb genomic DNAs with 10 restriction enzymes revealed different restriction fragment patterns among the isolates. The tRNA-coding regions of 8 chlorella viruses were cloned and sequenced. These viruses contain 14-16 tRNA genes within a 1.2- to 2-kb region, except for the SS-1 isolate, which has a 1039-bp spacer in a cluster of 11 tRNA genes. Promoter regions of several early genes were isolated and their activities were analyzed in transformed chlorella. Some promoters showed stronger activity than commonly used CaMV 35S promoter and chlorella transformation vectors for heterologous protein are beings constructed using these promoters.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.547-554
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• 2012

Chromium is generated from several industrial processes. It occurs in different oxidation states, but Cr(III) and Cr(VI) are the most common ones. Cr(VI) is a toxic, soluble environmental contaminant. Some bacteria are able to reduce hexavalent chromium to the insoluble and less toxic Cr(III), and thus chromate bioremediation is of considerable interest. An indigenous chromium-reducing bacterial strain, Rb-2, isolated from a tannery water sample, was identified as Ochrobactrum intermedium, on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The influence of factors like temperature of incubation, initial concentration of Cr, mobility of bacteria, and different carbon sources were studied to test the ability of the bacterium to reduce Cr(VI) under variable environmental conditions. The ability of the bacterial strain to reduce hexavalent chromium in artificial and industrial sewage water was evaluated. It was observed that the mechanism of resistance to metal was not due to the change in the permeability barrier of the cell membrane, and the enzyme activity was found to be inductive. Intracellular reduction of Cr(VI) was proven by reductase assay using cell-free extract. Scanning electron microscopy revealed chromium precipitates on bacterial cell surfaces, and transmission electron microscopy showed the outer as well as inner distribution of Cr(VI). This bacterial strain can be useful for Cr(VI) detoxification under a wide range of environmental conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.555-559
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• 2013

Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 are the major serotypes associated with illness, and some V. cholera non-O1 and non-O139 isolates produce cholera toxin. The present study describes a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for the species-specific detection and quantitation of V. cholera using a primer pair based on an outer membrane lipoprotein lolB gene for the amplification of a 195 bp DNA fragment. The qPCR primer set for the accurate diagnosis of V. cholera was developed from publically available genome sequences. This quantitative PCR-based method will potentially simplify and facilitate the diagnosis of this pathogen and guide disease management.