• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.303-309
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• 2012

Keratinases are of particular interest because of their action on insoluble keratins and generally on a broad range of protein substrates. Alkalophilic and neutrophilic actinomycete strains isolated from different soil samples, rich in keratinaceous substances were screened for keratinolytic activity. An alkalophilic isolate, TBG-S13A5, was found to possess good keratinolytic activity and was able to utilize feather as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. TBG-S13A5 exhibited an off-white aerial mass color with a rectus-flexibilis type of spore chain. The morphological, microscopical and biochemical characters were comparable with that of Streptomyces albidoflavus. Fatty acid methyl ester profiling (FAME) and 16S rDNA sequence analysis confirmed its identity as a strain of S. albidoflavus. Under submerged fermentation conditions, maximum protease production was recorded on the $5^{th}$ day of incubation at $30^{\circ}C$, using basal broth of pH 9.0 with 0.25% (w/v) white chicken feather. This strain could affect feather degradation when the initial pH was 8 and above and maximum protease production was recorded when the initial pH was around 10.5. The effectiveness of the crude enzyme in destaining and leather dehairing were also demonstrated.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.213-218
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• 1989

To investigate the possibility of using alkalophilic Bacillus sp. K-11 as a host for molecular cloning, plasmid pUB110 and pBD64 were introduced into alkalophilic Bacillus sp. K-17 by protoplast transformation system. Protoplasts of Bacillus sp. K-11 were prepared by treatment with 200 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ Iysozyme in SMM buffer containing 0.4M sucrose. Optimal temperature, pH and culture time for protoplast formation were 4$0^{\circ}C$, 7.0 and 4hrs, respectively. Cell wall was regenerated efficiently on DM3 medium containing 0.8% agar and 0.5M sodium succinate. Under these conditions for protoplast formation and regeneration, the highest transformation efficiency was obtained with cells incubated for 4hrs, and using 30%(V/V) of 40%(W/V) PEG6,000, In characteristics of transfer-mants, plasmid pUB110 was more stable than plasmid pBD64 in Bacillus sp. K-17. Maximum xylanase production of both transformants carrying pUB110 and pBD64, respectively was similar, but under the same conditions, enzyme secretion by transformant carrying pUB110 was earlier than that of transformant carrying pBD64.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2010

An alkalophilic microorganism capable of degrading dyes was developed for the treatment of alkaline dye solution. This strain was identified as Pseudomonas species. Using this microorganism, biological treatment of dye was studied in Erlenmeyer flasks. The characteristics of this microorganism were observed under various incubating-condition such as temperature, pH, nitrogen source, and macronutrients concentration. The removal effciencies of Disperse Red 60 from synthetic wastewater were 33.5 ~ 36.9% at the range of $30{\sim}40^{\circ}C$, and they were 31.1 ~ 36.7% at the range of initial pH 8 ~ pH 10, respectively. The optimal culture medium was found to be 0.25%(w/v) yeast extract, 0.25%(w/v) polypeptone, 0.1%(w/v) $KH_2PO_4$, 0.2%(w/v) $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, and 1.0%(w/v) $Na_2CO_3$. In treatment of various dyes using Erlenmeyer flasks, the removal effciencies of Disperse Blue 87, Disperse Yellow 64, Disperse Red 60, Acid Blue 193, Acid Red 138, and Direct Yellow 23 were found to be 76%, 71%, 58%, 93%, 94%, and 90% respectively after 24hrs reaction of alkalophilic strain Pseudomonas sp. YBE-12.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.524-528
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• 1989

A $\beta$-Galactosidase producing strain, Alkalophilic Bacillus sp, YS-309, has been isolated from soil sample. The strain was capable of producing large amount of intracellular $\beta$-galactosidase in the alkaline media rather than in the neutral media. The preferable medium composition has been determined to be as follows: 0.5% lactose, 0.5% yeast extract, 0.5% soybean meal, 0.1% KH$_2$PO$_4$, 0.02% MgSO$_4$7$H_2O$ 0,0.6% Na$_2$CO$_3$ (pH 9.9). The enzyme was produced by lactose or IPTG as in-ducer. But both Enzyme synthesis and cellular growth were decreased when lactose was added at the higher concentrations than 1.5% (v/v).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 1991

A gene coding for ${\beta}-xylosidase$ in alkalophilic Bacillus sp. YC-335 isolated from soil was cloned into Escherichia coli HB101 using plasmid pBR322. The recombinant plasmid pYK40 was isolated, and the cloned HindIII fragment was 15 kilobases (kb). To reduce the size of the inserted DNA fragment of pYK40, the 15 kb HindIII fragment was subjected to a series of subclonings. A 6 kb subfragment was found to code for ${\beta}-xylosidase$ activity, and the recombinant plasmid was named pYK44. Southern hybridization analysis revealed that the cloned gene hybridized with 3.5 kb, 1.5 kb, and 1.0 kb of HindIII cleaved chromosomal DNA from Bacillus sp. YC-335. ${\beta}-xylosidase$ activity produced by recombinant E. coli was found to be 11 times higher than that produced by Bacillus sp. YC-335. Xylan was required to induce the production of ${\beta}-xylosidase$ in Bacillus sp. YC-335.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.543-547
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• 1991

An alkalophilic microorganism, SH-8, was isolated from soil samples. It was a Grampositive, catalase-positive, spore-forming and motile rod which was capable of growth in aerobic condition at the initial pH 9.0 or above up to 11.0 and between 15 and $42^{\circ}C$ The characteristics of this strain resembled those of the Bacillus group of bacteria. The mutant, Bacillus sp. SH- 8M, was selected from Bacillus sp. SH-8 by U.V. mutagenesis and was able to grow at pH 6.9 up to 11.0. These two strains will be suitable for the comparative study on growth and enzyme production at various pH conditions.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.563-567
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• 1989

An alkalophilic bacterium isolated from compost was selected, identified and tested for the production of glutamic acid from ammonium fumarate. The bacterium was closely related to Bacillus brevis. The conditions for glutamic acid production were pH 8.0, 2% fumaric acid, and 0.8% nutrient broth. The mechanism of glutamic acid formation in this strain was postulated as following scheme. (1) Ammonium fumarate longrightarrow Aspartic acid (2) Aspartic acid ＋ $\alpha$-Ketoglutaric acid longrightarrow Glutamic acid + Oxaloacetic acid.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.863-869
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• 2001

A systematic study of microbial fuel cells comprised of alkalophilic Bacillus sp. B-31 has been carried out under various operating conditions. A significant amount of electricity was generated when redox mediators were used. Among the phenothiazine-type redox dyes tested, azure A was found to be the most effective both in maintaining a high cell voltage and for the long-term operation. The maximum efficiency was and for the long-term operation. The maximum efficiency was obtained at ca. $50^{\circ}C$ giving an open circuit voltage of 0.7V. A small change in temperature did not significantly affect the cell performance, but a rapid decrease in performance was observed below $20^{\circ}C$ and above $70^{\circ}C$. It was noticeable that fuel cell efficiency and discharge pattern depended strongly on the carbon source used in the initial culture medium. Regardless of the initial carbon sources, only glucose and trehalose were utilized as substrates. Galactose, however, was not substantially utilized except when galactose was used in the initial medium. Glucose, in particular, showed $87\%$ coulombic efficiency, which was the highest value ever reported, when Bacillus sp. was cultured in a maltose-containing medium. This study demonstrates that highly efficient microbial fuel cells can be constructed with alkalophilic microorganisms by fine-tuning the operating conditions and by carefully selecting carbon sources in the initial culture medium.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.44-48
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• 1990

Alkalophilic sp. YC-335 isolated from soil was capable of producing large amount of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) in culture broth. This enzyme was successively purified 52.9 folds with 17.8 yield by ethanol precipitation, DEAE-Toyopearl column chromatography and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The purified enzyme have a molecular weight of approximately 75,000 estimated by SDS polyaerylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH and temperature for the enzyme activity were 6.0 and 5$0^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme stable between pH 6 and 10, and up to 5$0^{\circ}C$. The thermostability of the enzyme was increased up to 6$0^{\circ}C$ by the addition of 15mM CaCl$_2$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 1991

Alkalophilic Bacillus sp. YJ-451, which was isolated from soil at several area in Korea, produced a novel type of bacteriolytic enzyme (cell wall peptidoglycan hydrolase) extracellulary. The cell wall hydrolytic activity was identified as a clear zone on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis containing 0.2% (w/v) cell wall of Bacillus sp. as substrate. This enzyme was successively purified 66 fold with 3.2% yield in culture broth by ammonium sulfate precipitation, CM-cellulose column chromatography, and gel filtration, followed by hydroxylapatite column chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 27,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration column chromatography. The optimum pH and temperature for the activity of the enzyme were pH 10.0 and $50^{\circ}C$, respectively. The enzyme was stable between pH 5.0 and 10.0 and up to $40^{\circ}C$. Among the microorganisms used in this experiment the enzyme was active against most of gram negative strains and the genus Bacillus such as B. megaterium, B. licheniformis, B. circulans, B. pumilus, B. macerans, B. polymyxa. The release of dinitrophenylglutamic acid but not reducing group from cell wall peptidoglycan digested by the enzyme suggested that the enzyme is a kind of peptidase which hydrolyzes the peptide bond at the amino group of D-glutamic acid in the peptidoglycan.