• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 1999

Xenorhabdus nematophilus sp., an insect-pathogenic bacterium, was newly isolated from Korean entomopathogenic nematode of Steinernema carpocapsae, which can be used as a useful bioinsecticide. Primary and secondary form variants of Xenorhabdus nematophilus were observed when cultured in vitro. Primary form variants adsorbed bromothymol blue, while secondary form did not. However, many other characters of two variants were very similar. The variants were all rod-shaped and cell size was highly variable ranging from 0.5 by 2.0 ${\mu}$m to 1.0 by 5.0 ${\mu}$m. Both produced highly toxic substances and killed the insect larva within 20∼38 hr, indicating that insect pathogenicity of Xenorhabdus is not directly associated with its phase variation. In addition, cell-free culture supernatant of Xenorhabdus was sufficient to kill the insect larva by injecting it ito insect hemolymph; however, cell-harboring culture broth was more effective for killing the insect. The use of Xenorhabdus nematophilus may provide a potential alternative to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.623-626
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• 2003

Nematophin and its analog incorporating tryptamine unit have been isolated and characterized from strain XRPC of a symbiotic bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophilus, which was newly isolated from Korean entomopathogenic nematodes. The stereoselective synthesis of these compounds was accomplished, and the relative configurations were determined. Nematophin exhibited potent antibacterial activities over several strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) comparable to those of vancomycin.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.353-360
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• 2003

Immunodepression can be required for entomopathogenic bacteria to induce their potent pathogenicities to the target insects. Here, we raise a hypothesis that the capacity of a pathogenic bacterium to induce the target insect immunodepression has positive relationship with the degree of pathogenicity. X. nematophilus had 1,200 times as potent as another entomopathogenic bacterium, Staphylococcus gallinarum against the fifth instar larvae of silkworm, Bombyx mori, when they were Injected into the hemocoel. Although both bacteria had significant cytotokic effect on the hemocytes of B. mori, X. nematophilus gave faster and greater cytotoxicity than did S. gallinarum. In cellular immune reactions, B. mori could form 20 hemocyte nodules against the bacterial injection with 5${\times}$10$\^$5/ cells. The number of the hemocyte nodules was significantly depressed when live X. nematophilus was inject-ed, but not in S. gallinarum. Activation of prophenoloxidase (proPO) was depressed in the bacterial injection. The depression of PO activation was significantly greater in X. nematophilus infection than in S. gallinarum injection. Lysozyme activity was induced by the injection of S. gallinarum at 4 h after the treatment, but not induced in X. nematophilus at all the time. These results showed that X. nemato-philus induced greater immunodepression against B. mori and resulted in higher pathogenicity than did S. gallinarum. Therefore, this study suggests that the immunodepression induced by entomopathogenic bacteria has positive relationship with their pathogenicity.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.723-729
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• 2003

Xenorhabdus nematophilus Kor-Al was cultured at flask and 5L jar fermentor at $28^{\circ}C$, 5% YS media condition. Antibiotic activity for X. nematophilus Kor-Al was experimented by paper disk method. As the result, antibiotic activity was growth associated form during culture time of X. nematophilus Kor-Al at flask. The maximum production and antibiotic activity were obtained at stationary period of cell growth. The optimum conditions of cell growth and antibiotic production at 5L jar fermentor were 400rpm agitation and 50% DO conditions.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.372-374
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• 2001

Three simple carboxamides incorporating the phenethylamine moiety have been isolated from strain XR-NC of a symbiotic bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophilus. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic data and synthesis. The compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicities against human cancer-cell line, viz. the gastric adenocarcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma and lung adenocarcinoma.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.100-105
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• 2000

Optimal medium composition, culture conditions, characteristics of phase variation and activity of insecticidal toxin by Xenorhabdus nematophilus isolated and identified from Korean entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae were examined. Optimal medium composition of this strain was 50-70 g/L yeast extract, 3 g/L $K_{2}HPO_{4}$, 1g/L $NH_{4}H_{2}PO_{4}$, 2g/L ${MgSO}_4$$\cdot$${7H}_{2}O$, 10g/L NaCl and, these, yeast extract was found as a limiting nutrient for cell growth. When Monod equation was applied, maxmum specific growth rate and Monod constant were estimated as 0.13 $hr^{-1}$ and 20g/L, respectively. The pH of culture medium increased up to 8.5-9.5 regardless of initial pH 6-7 as the cells continued to grow. The specific growth rate in a 7 L fermentor was 0.18 $hr^{-1}$, which was enhancement 1.4 fold compared to a flask culture. In case of phase variation, phase I fraction was maintained above 90% at the stationary phase for both flask and fermentor cultures. According to oral toxicity test of Gallena mellonella by Xenorhabdus nematophilus, the addition of cell pellets into feed inhibited normal growth of insect larvae and killed completely then after 20 days cultivation. When culture supernatant of this strain was injected into hemolymph of insect larva, the toxicity was strongest at 24hr cultivation in the early exponential phase and gradually decreased as the culture time proceeded.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.141-145
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• 2000

Entomopathogenic nematodes are being used for insect control. We purified a toxin secreted by the insect-pathogenic bacterium, Xenorhadbus nematophilus, which lives in the gut of entomopathogenic nematodes. Culture broth of X. nematophilus was separated by centrifugation and concentrated by ultration. The concentrated culture broth was applied to a DEAE Sephadex A-50 column, and proteins were eluted stepwise with increasing concentrations of KCI. Fractions column. The molecty weight of purified toxin was39 kDa on SDS-PAGE, and Fourier tranformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that this toxin could be a new protein exhiting the charactristics of C=O stretching peak near 1650cm-1.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.910-913
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• 2001

The fatty acid compositions of entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema carpocapsae strain produced in vitro and in vivo were examined. Nematodes cultured both in vitro and in vivo revealed similar fatty acids compositions with respect to 16, 18, 20 carbons. However, the contents of lipids were varied by culture methods. Furthermore, it was distinctive that nematodes cultured in vitro contained fatty acids with 19 carbon. In the case of symbiotic bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophilus isolated from Steinernema carpocapsae, the major lipid component was palmitic (c16:0) fatty acids.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.526-529
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• 2002

Lysis of erythrocytes isolated from human, rabbit, and mouse blood samples was investigated with the culture supernatant of Xenorhabdus nematophilus in a primary form. Prior to use, the culture supernatant of the bacteria was concentrated and the concentrate was dialyzed against Tris-HCl buffer (10 mM, pH 8.1) by ultrafiltration using PM-5 membrane with a molecular weight cut-off of 5,000. At $30^{\circ}C$, the supernatant exhibited no lytic activity towards three types of erythrocytes. However, at $4^{\circ}C$, the supernatant showed selective lytic activity towards rabbit erythrocytes within 90 min. yet did not lyze human or mouse erythrocytes. Microscopic examination clearly revealed that most of the rabbit erythrocytes had been fumed into ghost forms.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.379-382
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• 2004

Entomopathogenic nematodes are used for insect control. Herein, an extracellular protease was partially purified from a culture supernatant of Xenorhabdus nematophilus, a symbiotic bacterium of an entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema glaseri: using precipitation with $80\%$ v/v isopropyl alcohol followed by gel permeation chromatography with a packed Sephacryl S-300 HR media. The partially purified protease exhibited maximal activity at pH 7 in the presence of 1 mM $CaCl_2$. The protease was identified as a metallo-protease based on the inhibition of its activity by the metal chelating agent, EDTA.