• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권8호
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• pp.1050-1056
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• 2023

Weizmannia coagulans (formerly Bacillus coagulans) is Gram-positive, and spore-forming bacteria causing food spoilage, especially in acidic canned food products. To control W. coagulans, we isolated a bacteriophage Youna2 from a sewage sludge sample. Morphological analysis revealed that phage Youna2 belongs to the Siphoviridae family with a non-contractile and flexible tail. Youna2 has 52,903 bp double-stranded DNA containing 61 open reading frames. There are no lysogeny-related genes, suggesting that Youna2 is a virulent phage. plyYouna2, a putative endolysin gene was identified in the genome of Youna2 and predicted to be composed of a N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase domain (PF01520) at the N-terminus and unknown function DUF5776 domain (PF19087) at the C-terminus. While phage Youna2 has a narrow host range, infecting only certain strains of W. coagulans, PlyYouna2 exhibited a broad antimicrobial spectrum beyond the Bacillus genus. Interestingly, PlyYouna2 can lyse Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Pseudomonas putida and Cronobacter sakazakii without other additives to destabilize bacterial outer membrane. To the best of our knowledge, Youna2 is the first W. coagulans-infecting phage and we speculate its endolysin PlyYouna2 can provide the basis for the development of a novel biocontrol agent against various foodborne pathogens.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.403-415
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• 2023

This study aimed to isolate and identify L-(+)-lactic acid-producing bacteria from tree barks collected in Thailand and evaluate the potential strain as probiotics. Twelve strains were isolated and characterized phenotypically and genotypically. The strains exhibited a rod-shaped morphology, high-temperature tolerance, and the ability to ferment different sugars into lactic acid. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis, all strains were identified as belonging to Weizmannia coagulans. Among the isolated strains, BKMTCR2-2 demonstrated exceptional lactic acid production, with 96.41% optical purity, 2.33 g/l of lactic acid production, 1.44 g/g of lactic acid yield (per gram of glucose consumption), and 0.0049 g/l/h of lactic acid productivity. This strain also displayed a wide range of pH tolerance, suggesting suitability for the human gastrointestinal tract and potential probiotic applications. The whole-genome sequence of BKMTCR2-2 was assembled using a hybridization approach that combined long and short reads. The genomic analysis confirmed its identification as W. coagulans and safety assessments revealed its non-pathogenic attribute compared to type strains and commercial probiotic strains. Furthermore, this strain exhibited resilience to acidic and bile conditions, along with the presence of potential probiotic-related genes and metabolic capabilities. These findings suggest that BKMTCR2-2 holds promise as a safe and effective probiotic strain with significant lactic acid production capabilities.

• 한국응용과학기술학회지
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.932-940
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• 2022

본 연구에서는 김치로부터 분리한 유산균 Weizmannia coagulans KK7(KCTC19023P) 균주를 이용하여 당근(Daucus carota var. sativa) 잎 추출물의 발효를 실시하고 얻은 생산물의 항염증 활성 및 성분변화를 확인하였다. 발효에 의한 당근 잎 추출물의 성분 변화를 확인하기 위하여 고성능 액체크로마토그래피를 이용하여 분석한 결과 발효 전과 비교하였을 때 발효 후에 플라보노이드의 일종인 루테올린(luteolin)의 함량이 현저히 증가하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 당근 잎 추출물과 발효 당근 잎 추출물의 항염 활성은 LPS에서 염증을 유발한 RAW 264.7 세포에서 NO (Nitric oxide) 생성 억제 효과로 확인하였다. 발효 당근 잎 추출물을 처리하였을 때 당근 잎 추출물 처리군에 비해 NO 생성이 상대적으로 억제되는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 발효 당근 잎 추출물 농도가 증가함에 따라 NO 생성 억제 효과도 유의적으로 증가 하였다. Western blot을 통해 염증반응에서 NO 생합성과 관련된 효소 iNOS의 발현을 확인한 결과 발효 당근 잎 추출물에서 단백질 발현이 농도 의존적으로 감소하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 실험 결과로부터 미생물 발효를 통해 당근 잎의 항염 효과가 증대된다는 것을 확인할 수 있었으며 이는 식품으로 거의 이용되지 않고 버려지는 당근 잎이 발효를 통해 새로운 식품 및 화장품 소재로 사용될 수 있음을 시사한다.

• 한국축산식품학회지
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.119-131
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• 2024

BIOVITA 3 bacterial species (BIOVITA 3), a probiotic blend powder containing Clostridium butyricum IDCC 1301, Weizmannia coagulans IDCC 1201, and Bacillus subtilis IDCC 1101, has been used as a food ingredient for gut health. However, its efficacy in improving constipation has not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the functional effects of oral administration of BIOVITA 3 as well as its component strains alone (at 1.0×10⁹ CFU/day) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with loperamide-induced constipation. The study included fecal analysis, gastrointestinal transit ratio, histopathological analysis, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and metagenome analysis. As results, the BIOVITA 3 group showed significant improvements in fecal number, water content, gastrointestinal transit ratio, and thickening of the mucosal layer. In the SCFAs analysis, all probiotic-treated groups showed an increase in total SCFAs compared to the loperamide-constipated group. Changes in microbial abundance and the diversity index of three groups (normal, constipated, and BIOVITA 3) were also defined. Of these, the BIOVITA 3 showed a significant improvement in loperamide-constipated SD-rats. This study suggests the possibility that BIOVITA 3 can be applied as an ingredient in functional foods to relieve constipation.