• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.520-526
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• 1997

Bacterial strains which degrade Arabian Light crude oil were isolated by enrichment culture from oil-spilled soil. The strain A54 was finally selected after testing emulsifying activity and oil conversion rate. Strain A54 was identified as a Acinetobacter sp. based on the morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics. It appears to be highly specialized for growth on Arabian Light crude oil in minimal salts medium since it showed preference for oil or degradation products as substrates for growth. It was found that it could grow on at least fifteen different hydrocarbons. The optimum cultural and environmental conditions were as follows; 25$\circ$C for temperature, 7,5 for pH, 2.0% for NaCl concentration and 2.0% for crude oil concentration. Additionally, the optimal concentration of NH$_{4}$NO$_{3}$, and K$_{2}$HPO$_{4}$, were 12.5 mM and 0.057 mM, respectively. Cell growth and emulsifying activity as a function of time were also determined. Crude oil degradation and the reduction of product peaks were identified by the analysis of remnant oil by gas chromatography. Approximately 63% of crude oil were converted into a form no longer extractable by mixed organic solvents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1811-1814
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• 2009

The effect of fermentation with mixed cultures of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus on the microbiological characteristics of oat extract was investigated. Changes in pH, titratable acidity and viable cell populations indicated that growth was better in mixed cultures of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and S. salivarius subsp. thermophilus. Growth of S. salivarius subsp. thermophilus in oat extract was more rapid than growth of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. Cooperative interaction between two cultures during fermentation of oat extract as in yogurt from cow's milk was observed, but the intensity was relatively weak.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1300-1308
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• 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of phytogenic additive and antibiotic growth promoter in laying Japanese quails. One hundred and sixty five quails were divided into three groups of 5 replicates and 11 quails (8 females and 3 males) in each replicate. Treatment 1 was fed control diet, treatment 2 was fed control diet supplemented with 0.05% bacitracin methylene disalicylate as antibiotic growth promoter and treatment 3 was fed control diet supplemented with 0.1% phytogenic feed additive (PFA) for two periods of 3 weeks each from 37 to 42 weeks of age. Results showed that egg production, eggshell strength, eggshell weight, villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio were significantly (p${\leq}$0.05) increased and feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, albumen, Haugh unit, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, alanine transaminase, gamma glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, number of goblet cell, crypt depth and intestinal bacterial population of Coliforms, Salmonella and E. coli were significantly (p${\leq}$0.05) decreased in PFA fed group. It is concluded that addition of PFA containing phytomolecules and organic acids as main ingredients could significantly improve the production parameters and the general health of laying quails as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters.

• Mycobiology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.260-265
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• 2008

Cyclic voltammetric measurements were performed for Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes of 1 : 1 alternating copolymer, poly(3-nitrobenzylidene-1-naphthylamine-co-succinic anhydride) (L) and Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes of 1 : 1 alternating copolymer, poly(3-nitrobenzylidene-1-naphthylamine-co-methacrylic acid) ($L^1$). The in vitro biological screening effects of the investigated compounds were tested against the fungal species including Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizoctonia bataicola and Candida albicans and bacterial species including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumaniae, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by well diffusion method. A comparative study of inhibition values of the copolymers and their complexes indicates that the complexes exhibit higher antimicrobial activity. Copper ions are proven to be essential for the growth-inhibitor effect. The extent of inhibition appeared to be strongly dependent on the initial cell density and on the growth medium. The nuclease activity of the above metal complexes were assessed by gel electrophoresis assay and the results show that the copper complexes can cleave pUC18 DNA effectively in presence of hydrogen peroxide compared to other metal complexes. The degradation experiments using Rhodamine B dye indicate that the hydroxyl radical species are involved in the DNA cleavage reactions.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 1988

Energy efficiency of bacterial cell mass and product formation from cellulose using Ruminococcus albus and Ruminococcus flavefaciens with application of available electron balance were discussed. Values of true growth yield, η$_{max}$ and η$^{max}_{th}$ and maintenance coefficient, m$_{e}$, were estimated us-ing experimental data, and the results were compared with estimates obtained from theoretical ap-proach. Experimental values were similar in magnitude to theoretical values in $Y^{max}_{ATP}$= 10.5 g cells/ mole ATP. Therefore, $Y^{max}_{ATP}$ values of Ruminococcus albus and Ruminocoecus flavefaciens were considered similar to 10.5 g cells/mole ATP.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2014

Salmonellosis has caused heavy losses in swine industry and implications for public health. Recently, the urgent problem of antibiotic resistance due to multidrug-resistant Salmonella spp. has been on the rise. The use of host-specific bateriophages as a biocontrol is one possible alternative. In this study, clinical signs, growth performance, quantification and detection of antigen, histopathological changes of gastrointestinal tracts were analyzed comparatively in weaned piglets according to administration of bacteriophages and challenge with Salmonella (S.) Typhimurium. Piglets challenged with S. Typhimurium after administered with bacteriophages showed reduced clinical signs, higher growth performance, lower bacterial shedding, lower quantificational value of antigens in intestines, higher V/C ratio and higher the number of goblet cells in intestines than piglets administered without bacteriophage and challenged with S. Typhimurium. These results indicate that feeding contained with bacteriophages has effect to prevent infection of S. Typhimurium in weaned piglets and suggest that a use of bacteriophage can be considered a valid antibiotic alternative.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1170-1176
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• 2015

Ginsenosides, the major active component of ginseng, are traditionally used to treat various diseases, including cancer, inflammation, and obesity. Among these, compound K (CK), an intestinal bacterial metabolite of the ginsenosides Rb₁, Rb₂, and Rc from Bacteroides JY-6, is reported to inhibit cancer cell growth by inducing cell-cycle arrest or cell death, including apoptosis and necrosis. However, the precise effect of CK on breast cancer cells remains unclear. MCF-7 cells were treated with CK ($0-70{\mu}M$) for 24 or 48 h. Cell proliferation and death were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Changes in downstream signaling molecules involved in cell death, including glycogen synthase kinase $3\beta$ ($GSK3\beta$), $GSK3\beta$, $\beta$-catenin, and cyclin D1, were analyzed by western blot assay. To block $GSK3\beta$ signaling, MCF-7 cells were pretreated with $GSK3\beta$ inhibitors 1 h prior to CK treatment. Cell death and the expression of $\beta$-catenin and cyclin D1 were then examined. CK dose- and time-dependently inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation. Interestingly, CK induced programmed necrosis, but not apoptosis, via the $GSK3\beta$ signaling pathway in MCF-7 cells. CK inhibited $GSK3\beta$ phosphorylation, thereby suppressing the expression of $\beta$-catenin and cyclin D1. Our results suggest that CK induces programmed necrosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells via the $GSK3\beta$ signaling pathway.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.195-199
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• 1998

AH alkalophilic Bacillus SP. AIk-7, isolated from soil, produced ethylene. The characteristics of this microorganism is the ability to grow well under the alkaline condition, at pH 10.3. This strain is similar to Bacillus alkalophilus in terms of morphological, physiological and biological characteristics. In observation of relationship of cell growth and ethylene production according to incubation times, the ethylene synthesis mostly occur from the late exponential phase to the death phase of growth. The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of various substrates on the biosynthesis of ethylene in the intact cell and the cell-free system by the Bacillus sp. AIk-7. In both intact cell and cell-free extract, optimum conditions for ethylene production was achieved at pH 10.3 and 3$0^{\circ}C$. Ethylene was effectively produced from L-Met and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). In this case, ACC as the substrate on ethylene production were two fold higher than L-met at each concentration of substrates. On the other hand, the cell-free ethylene-forming system was used as a tool for the elucidation of the biochemical reaction involved in the formation of ethylene by Bacillus sp. AIk-7. Ethylene production in the cell-free system required the presence of manganese and cobalt ion to be stimulated a little. The result obtained in this work suggests that L-met and ACC may be a precursor more directly related to bacterial ethylene production than any other substrates tested.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1459-1469
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• 2008

Using a rotating biological contactor modified with a sequencing bath reactor system (SBRBC) designed and operated to remove phosphate and nitrogen [58], the microbial community structure of the biofilm from the SBRBC system was characterized based on the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) constituents, electron microscopy, and molecular techniques. Protein and carbohydrate were identified as the major EPS constituents at three different biofilm thicknesses, where the amount of EPS and bacterial cell number were highest in the initial thickness of 0-100${\mu}m$. However, the percent of carbohydrate in the total amount of EPS decreased by about 11.23%, whereas the percent of protein increased by about 11.15% as the biofilm grew. Thus, an abundant quantity of EPS and cell mass, as well as a specific quality of EPS were apparently needed to attach to the substratum in the first step of the biofilm growth. A FISH analysis revealed that the dominant phylogenetic group was $\beta$- and $\gamma$-Proteobacteria, where a significant subclass of Proteobacteria for removing phosphate and/or nitrate was found within a biofilm thickness of 0-250${\mu}m$. In addition, 16S rDNA clone libraries revealed that Klebsiella sp. and Citrobacter sp. were most dominant within the initial biofilm thickness of 0-250${\mu}m$, whereas sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, such as Beggiatoa sp. and Thiothrix sp., were detected in a biofilm thickness over 250${\mu}m$. The results of the bacterial community structure analysis using molecular techniques agreed with the results of the morphological structure based on scanning electron microscopy. Therefore, the overall results indicated that coliform bacteria participated in the nitrate and phosphorus removal when using the SBRBC system. Moreover, the structure of the biofilm was also found to be related to the EPS constituents, as well as the nitrogen and phosphate removal efficiency. Consequently, since this is the first identification of the bacterial community and structure of the biofilm from an RBC simultaneously removing nitrogen and phosphate from domestic wastewater, and it is hoped that the present results may provide a foundation for understanding nitrate and phosphate removal by an RBC system.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.616-623
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• 2008

In spite of an increasing interest in fucoidans as biologically active compounds, no convenient commercial sources with fucoidanase activity are yet available. A marine bacterial strain that showed confluent growth on a minimal medium containing fucoidan, prepared from Korean Undaria pinnatifida sporophylls, as the sole carbon source was isolated and identified based on a 16S rDNA sequence analysis as a strain of Sphingomonas paucimobilis, and named Sphingomonas paucimobilis PF-1. The strain depolymerized fucoidan into more than 7 distinct low-molecular-mass fucose-containing oligosaccharides, ranging from 305 to 3,749 Da. The enzyme activity was shown to be associated with the whole cell, suggesting the possibility of a surface display of the enzyme. However, a whole-cell enzyme preparation neither released the monomer L-fucose from the fucoidan nor hydrolyzed the chromogenic substrate p-nitrophenyl-${\alpha}$-L-fucoside, indicating that the enzyme may be an endo-acting fucoidanase rather than an ${\alpha}$-L-fucosidase. Therefore, this would appear to be the first report on fucoidanolytic activity by a Sphingomonas species and also the first report on the enzymatic degradation of the Korean Undaria pinnatifida sporophyll fucoidan. Moreover, this enzyme activity may be very useful for structural analyses of fucose-containing polysaccharides and the production of bioactive fucooligosaccharides.