• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.21 no.5_3
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• pp.703-712
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• 1998

Physicochemical factors, microbial population size and the properties of the bacterial isolates were estimated to find out the nature of soil ecosystem of Mt. Nam. Samples were obtained from the surface layer of soils on which specific plant community is developed. Average content of moisture and organic matter of the soils were 21.6% and 17.3%, respectively. These values were similar to those of developing forest soils, but were slightly lower than those of climax ecosystem such as Piagol in Mt. Chiri. Chiri. Content of phosphate was higher than those of other forest soils. The population size of soil bacteria ranged from 27.4 to 195.8 ${\times}\;10^5$ CFU/g. duy soil, and the size is somewhat dependent on the moisture and oranic matter content of soils. A large number of bacteria were able to decompose macromolecules such as starch, elastin and gelatin. Bacterial species composition of each soil was comparatively simple. Pseudomonas, Agrobacterium, Flavobacterium and Xanthomonas which are Gram-negative short rods were widely distributed in the forest soils. The endospore forming Bacillus species were also the main constituents of the soil microflroa. Actinomycetes were widely distributed in the forest soils, but the distribution pattern varied in each site. Most of the actinomycetes were also able to decompose organic macromolecules. The rate of resistant actinomycete strains to antibiotics and heavy metals were lower than those from cultivated soils, but higher than those from well-preserved forest soils. Antibiosis pattern of the actinomycete isolates was similiar to the resistance pattern. This means the forest soils of Mt. nam was somewhat interferred by artificial behabiour.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.21 no.5_2
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• pp.575-583
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• 1998

Physicochemical factors, microbial population size and the properties of the bacterial isolates were assessed to find out the nature of soil ecosystem of Mt. Paektu. Samples were obtained from the surface layer of soils on which specific plant community is developed. Average content of moisture, organic matter and avaiable phosphate of the soils were 21.6%, 17.3% and 2.48mg/100g, respectively. These values were similar to those of developing forest soils, but were slightly lower than those of climax ecosystem such as Piagol in Mt. Chiri. The population size of soil bacteria ranged from 2.7 to $202.5{\times}10^5$ CFU/g.dry soil, and the size is somewhat dependent on the content of moisture and oranic matter of the forest soil. A large number of bacteria was able to decompose macromolecules such as starch, elastin and gelatin. While the distribution rate of resistant bacteria to antibiotics was high, that to toxic chemicals was low. This means that the competition between microorgani는 predominate over the interference with artificial behaviour such as spread of pesticides in the surveyed region. Bacterial species composition of each soil was comparatively simple. Pseudomonas, Agrobacterium, Flavobacterium and Xanthomonas which are Gram-negative short rods were widely distributed in the forest soils. The endospore forming Bacillus species were also main constituents of the soil microflroa. any one of the strains was not identified as Azospirillum or Micrococcus which are known to be one of major constituents of the forest soil. for the correct identification of isolates chemotaxonomic studies will be proceeded, and the strains are to be stored in the Type collection Center.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.812-821
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• 2007

The ecosystems of certain abandoned mines contain arsenic-resistant bacteria capable of performing detoxification when an ars gene is present in the bacterial genome. The ars gene has already been isolated from Pseudomonas putida and identified as a member of the membrane transport regulatory deoxyribonucleic acid family. The arsenite-oxidizing bacterial strains isolated in the present study were found to grow in the presence of 66.7 mM sodium arsenate($V;\;Na_2HAsO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$), yet experienced inhibited growth when the sodium arsenite($III;\;NaAsO_2$) concentration was higher than 26 mM. Batch experiment results showed that Pseudomonas putida strain OS-5 completely oxidized 1 mM of As(III) to As(V) within 35 h. An arsB gene encoding a membrane transport regulatory protein was observed in arsenite-oxidizing Pseudomonas putida strain OS-5, whereas arsB, arsH, and arrA were detected in strain OS-19, arsD and arsB were isolated from strain RW-18, and arsR, arsD, and arsB were found in E. coli strain OS-80. The leader gene of arsR, -arsD, was observed in a weak acid position. Thus, for bacteria exposed to weak acidity, the ars system may cause changes to the ecosystems of As-contaminated mines. Accordingly, the present results suggest that arsR, arsD, arsAB, arsA, arsB, arsC, arsH, arrA, arrB, aoxA, aoxB, aoxC, aoxD, aroA, and aroB may be useful for arsenite-oxidizing bacteria in abandoned arsenic-contaminated mines.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.40-44
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• 2012

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni is the causal agent of bacterial black spot disease on some stone fruits, e.g. peach, plum and apricot. To evaluate pathogenicity of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni strain from plum, inoculum of the isolated strain was spray inoculated to fruits and leaves of apricot, Japanese apricot and plum. Apricot and Japanese apricot showed severe black spot symptoms on fruits and shot hole symptoms on leaves. In case of apricot, about fifty percent of fruits did not grow and dropped by hypersensitive reaction to spray infection. Plum, cv. Formosa was very susceptible, showing severe black injury lesions on fruits and cankers on leaves and new twigs. On the other hand, plum cv. Daesukjosaeng, was highly resistant. Fruits of several plum cultivars such as Formosa and Chuhee were severely infected at natural infected orchards by X. arboricola pv. pruni. Where as those of Daesukjosaeng, Taeyang, Soldam and Hongrogen were moderately infected.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.10-14
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• 2008

Batcterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of important and widespread diseases worldwide as well as in Korea. Bacterial wilt disease caused by R. solanacearum has been reported mainly in solanaceous crops including eggplant (Solanum melongena), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), potato (S. tuberosum), and pepper (Capsicum annuum). A total of 48 strains of R. solanacearum from eggplant were collected during 2005 and 2006. They were confirmed as R. solanacearum by PCR amplification with primer pair flipcF/flipcR resulting in production of 470-bp DNA fragment. The 15 isolates exhibited pathogenicity on eggplant and tomato, but less virulent on pepper than other species. The biovar of collected isolates, which have been reported of five types worldwide, were classified as biovars 3 and 4 by physiological test. Biovar 4 was the dormant type without pathogenicity on eggplant rootstock, whereas biovar 3 had pathogenicity on eggplant rootstocks that is resistant to R. solanacearum, indicating necessity of breeding new rootstock with resistance to R. solanacearum biovar 3

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2021

Acidovorax citrulli (Ac) is the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) in watermelon, a disease that poses a serious threat to watermelon production. Because of the lack of resistant cultivars against BFB, virulence factors or mechanisms need to be elucidated to control the disease. Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is the enzyme involved in glycerol production from glucose during glycolysis. In this study, we report the functions of a putative glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in Ac (GlpdAc) using comparative proteomic analysis and phenotypic observation. A glpdAc knockout mutant, AcΔglpdAc(EV), lost virulence against watermelon in two pathogenicity tests. The putative 3D structure and amino acid sequence of GlpdAc showed high similarity with glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases from other bacteria. Comparative proteomic analysis revealed that many proteins related to various metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, were affected by GlpdAc. Although AcΔglpdAc(EV) could not use glucose as a sole carbon source, it showed growth in the presence of glycerol, indicating that GlpdAc is involved in glycolysis. AcΔglpdAc(EV) also displayed higher cell-to-cell aggregation than the wild-type bacteria, and tolerance to osmotic stress and ciprofloxacin was reduced and enhanced in the mutant, respectively. These results indicate that GlpdAc is involved in glycerol metabolism and other mechanisms, including virulence, demonstrating that the protein has pleiotropic effects. Our study expands the understanding of the functions of proteins associated with virulence in Ac.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.173-181
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• 2021

The genus Streptomyces demonstrates enormous promise in promoting plant growth and protecting plants against various pathogens. Single and consortium treatments of two selected Streptomyces strains (Streptomyces shenzhenensis TKSC3 and Streptomyces sp. SS8) were evaluated for their growth-promoting potential on rice, and biocontrol efficiency through induced systemic resistance (ISR) mediation against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), the causal agent of rice bacterial leaf streak (BLS) disease. Seed bacterization by Streptomyces strains improved seed germination and vigor, relative to the untreated seed. Under greenhouse conditions, seed bacterization with consortium treatment TKSC3 + SS8 increased seed germination, root length, and dry weight by 20%, 23%, and 33%, respectively. Single and consortium Streptomyces treatments also successfully suppressed Xoc infection. The result was consistent with defense-related enzyme quantification wherein single and consortium Streptomyces treatments increased peroxidase (POX), polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and β,1-3 glucanase (GLU) accumulation compared to untreated plant. Within all Streptomyces treatments, consortium treatment TKSC3 + SS8 showed the highest disease suppression efficiency (81.02%) and the lowest area under the disease progress curve value (95.79), making it the best to control BLS disease. Consortium treatment TKSC3 + SS8 induced the highest POX and GLU enzyme activities at 114.32 µmol/min/mg protein and 260.32 abs/min/mg protein, respectively, with both enzymes responsible for plant cell wall reinforcement and resistant interaction. Our results revealed that in addition to promoting plant growth, these Streptomyces strains also mediated ISR in rice plants, thereby, ensuring protection from BLS disease.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.603-615
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• 2022

Soybean (Glycine max (L) Merr.) provides plant-derived proteins, soy vegetable oils, and various beneficial metabolites to humans and livestock. The importance of soybean is highly underlined, especially when carbon-negative sustainable agriculture is noticeable. However, many diseases by pests and pathogens threaten sustainable soybean production. Therefore, understanding molecular interaction between diverse cultivated varieties and pathogens is essential to developing disease-resistant soybean plants. Here, we established a pathosystem of the Korean domestic cultivar Kwangan against Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a. This bacterial strain caused apparent disease symptoms and grew well in trifoliate leaves of soybean plants. To examine the disease susceptibility of the cultivar, we analyzed transcriptional changes in soybean leaves on day 5 after P. syringae pv. syringae B728a infection. About 8,900 and 7,780 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in this study, and significant proportions of DEGs were engaged in various primary and secondary metabolisms. On the other hand, soybean orthologs to well-known plant immune-related genes, especially in plant hormone signal transduction, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and plant-pathogen interaction, were mainly reduced in transcript levels at 5 days post inoculation. These findings present the feature of the compatible interaction between cultivar Kwangan and P. syringae pv. syringae B728a, as a hemibiotroph, at the late infection phase. Collectively, we propose that P. syringae pv. syringae B728a successfully inhibits plant immune response in susceptible plants and deregulates host metabolic processes for their colonization and proliferation, whereas host plants employ diverse metabolites to protect themselves against infection with the hemibiotrophic pathogen at the late infection phase.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.307-318
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• 2023

Objectives: Bacterial biofilm is regarded as a significant threat to the production of safe food and the arise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the quorum sensing inhibitory effect of Nepeta curviflora methanolic extract. Methods: The effectiveness of the leaves at sub-inhibitory concentrations of 2.5, 1.25, and 0.6 mg/mL on the virulence factors and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa was evaluated. The effect of N. curviflora methanolic extract on the virulence factors of P. aeruginosa, including pyocyanin, rhamnolipid, protease, and chitinase, was evaluated. Other tests including the crystal violet assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swarming motility, aggregation ability, hydrophobicity and exopolysaccharide production were conducted to assess the effect of the extract on the formation of biofilm. Insight into the mode of antiquorum sensing action was evaluated by examining the effect of the extract on the activity of N-Acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) and the expression of pslA and pelA genes. Results: The results showed a significant attenuation in the production of pyocyanin and rhamnolipid and in the activities of protease and chitinase enzymes at 2.5 and 1.25 mg/mL. In addition, N. curviflora methanolic extract significantly inhibited the formation of P. aeruginosa biofilm by decreasing aggregation, hydrophobicity, and swarming motility as well as the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS). A significant reduction in AHL secretion and pslA gene expression was observed, indicating that the extract inhibited quorum sensing by disrupting the quorum-sensing systems. The quorum-sensing inhibitory effect of N. curviflora extract appears to be attributed to the presence of kaempferol, quercetin, salicylic acid, rutin, and rosmarinic acid, as indicated by LCMS analysis. Conclusion: The results of the present study provide insight into the potential of developing anti-quorum sensing agents using the extract and the identified compounds to treat infections resulting from quorum sensing-mediated bacterial pathogenesis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1015-1024
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• 2023

Antibiotics have greatly contributed to the treatment and prevention of bacterial diseases in humans, animals, and fish. However, antibiotic misuse has led to the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. In addition to antibiotic discovery research, efforts are being made to combat such multidrug-resistant bacteria using antimicrobial agents, antioxidants, host immune enhancement, probiotics, and bacteriophages, as well as various symptomatic therapies. To discover novel bioactive compounds, it is crucial to adopt approaches that incorporate fresh ideas, new targets, innovative techniques, and untapped resources. Halophytes are plants that grow in high-salt soils and are known to adapt to salt-induced stress through unique metabolic processes that produce secondary metabolites. This study aimed to investigate the effects of extracts of halophytes native to Korea on oxidative stress and to determine whether they exert inhibitory activity against biofilms, which are major pathogenic factors of infectious bacteria. The Acinetobacter baumannii strain ATCC 17978, a representative drug-resistant bacterium, was used to measure anti-biofilm activity. The results showed that Aster spathulifolius, Carex kobomugi, Rosa rugosa, and Asparagus cochinchiensis exerted strong antioxidant and anti-biofilm effects without affecting bacterial growth itself. The halophytes used in this study are promising candidates for the development of pharmaceutical agents with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.