• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.413-424
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• 2021

In order to enhance rhizoremediation performance, which remediates contaminated soils using the interactions between plants and microorganisms in rhizosphere, it is required to develop effective microbial resources that simultaneously degrade contaminants and promote plant growth. In this study, heavy metal-resistant rhizobacteria, which had been cultivated in soils contaminated with heavy metals (copper, cadmium, and lead) and diesel were isolated from rhizospheres of maize and tall fescue. After that, the isolates were qualitatively evaluated for plant growth promoting (PGP) activities, heavy metal tolerance, and diesel degradability. As a result, six strains with heavy metal tolerance, PGP activities, and diesel degradability were isolated. Strains CuM5 and CdM2 were isolated from the rhizosphere soils of maize, and were identified as belonging to the genus Cupriavidus. From the rhizosphere soils of tall fescue, strains CuT6, CdT2, CdT5, and PbT3 were isolated and were identified as Fulvimonas soli, Cupriavidus sp., Novosphingobium sp., and Bacillus sp., respectively. Cupriavidus sp. CuM5 and CdM2 showed a low heavy metal tolerance and diesel degradability, but exhibited an excellent PGP ability. Among the six isolates, Cupriavidus sp. CdT2 and Bacillus sp. PbT3 showed the best diesel degradability. Additionally, Bacillus sp. PbT3 also exhibited excellent heavy metal tolerance and PGP abilities. These results indicate that the isolates can be used as promising microbial resources to promote plant growth and restore soils with contaminated heavy metals and diesel.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.216-227
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• 2016

Biological control agents (BCAs) from different microbial taxa are increasingly used to control bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. However, a quantitative research synthesis has not been conducted on the role of BCAs in disease suppression. Therefore, the present study aimed to meta-analyze the impacts of BCAs on both Ralstonia wilt disease suppression and plant (host) growth promotion. The analysis showed that the extent of disease suppression by BCAs varied widely among studies, with effect size (log response ratio) ranging from -2.84 to 2.13. The disease incidence and severity were significantly decreased on average by 53.7% and 49.3%, respectively. BCAs inoculation also significantly increased fresh and dry weight by 34.4% and 36.1%, respectively on average. Also, BCAs inoculation significantly increased plant yield by 66%. Mean effect sizes for genus Pseudomonas sp. as BCAs were higher than for genus Bacillus spp. Among antagonists tested, P. fluorescens, P. putida, B. cereus, B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens were found to be more effective in general for disease reduction. Across studies, highest disease control was found for P. fluorescens, annual plants, co-inoculation with more than one BCA, soil drench and greenhouse condition were found to be essential in understanding plant responses to R. solanacearum. Our results suggest that more efforts should be devoted to harnessing the potential beneficial effects of these antagonists, not just for plant growth promoting traits but also in mode of applications, BCAs formulations and their field studies should be considered in the future for R. solanacearum wilt disease suppression.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.2 s.75
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• pp.297-301
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• 2006

For developing natural antibacterial agents from Houttuynia cordata Thunb., antibacterial effects of volatile flavor component using various bacterial sp. were tested. Extraction from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. by using SDE (Simultaneous steam Distillation-Extraction) showed strong antibacterial activities against Vibrio and Bacillus genus, such as Vibrio. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, Bacillus. cereus, and B. subtilis. Then chemical compositions of leaf and stem were analyzed. The contents of crude protein, lipid, and ash in stem were less than those of leaf, but fiber contents were higher than those of leaf. Among the amino acids, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, and arginine were higher than those of other amino acids. Linolenic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid were major fatty acids. Major minerals of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. were potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper. Especially, in the case of potassium, it was highest.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.648-660
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• 2014

Doenjang, a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste, is made by mixing and ripening meju with high salt brine (approximately 18%). Meju is a naturally fermented soybean block prepared by soaking, steaming, and molding soybean. To understand living bacterial community migration and the roles of bacteria in the manufacturing process of doenjang, the diversity of culturable bacteria in meju and doenjang was examined using media supplemented with NaCl, and some physiological activities of predominant isolates were determined. Bacilli were the major bacteria involved throughout the entire manufacturing process from meju to doenjang; some of these bacteria might be present as spores during the doenjang ripening process. Bacillus siamensis was the most populous species of the genus, and Bacillus licheniformis exhibited sufficient salt tolerance to maintain its growth during doenjang ripening. Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, the major lactic acid bacteria (LAB) identified in this study, did not continue to grow under high NaCl conditions in doenjang. Enterococci and certain species of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were the predominant acid-producing bacteria in meju fermentation, whereas Tetragenococcus halophilus and CNS were the major acid-producing bacteria in doenjang fermentation. We conclude that bacilli, LAB, and CNS may be the major bacterial groups involved in meju fermentation and that these bacterial communities undergo a shift toward salt-tolerant bacilli, CNS, and T. halophilus during the doenjang fermentation process.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.24-35
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• 2021

Blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum is one of the most significant postharvest diseases of apples. Some microorganisms associated with the surface of ripening apples possess the ability to inhibit the growth of P. expansum. However, the existing literature about their colonization in the stages before ripening is not explored in depth. This study aims to characterize the antagonistic capacity of bacterial populations from five fruit development stages of 'Royal Gala' apples. The results have shown that the density of the bacterial populations decreases throughout the ripening stages of fruit (from 1.0 × 105 to 1.1 × 101 cfu/㎠). A total of 25 bacterial morphotypes (corresponding to five genera identified by 16S RNA) were differentiated in which Bacillus stood out as a predominant genus. In the in vitro antagonism tests, 10 Bacillus strains (40%) inhibited the mycelial growth of P. expansum from 30.1% to 60.1%, while in fruit bioassays, the same strains reduced the fruit rot ranging from 12% to 66%. Moreover, the bacterial strains with antagonistic activity increased in the ripening fruit stage. B. subtilis subsp. spiziennii M24 obtained the highest antagonistic activity (66.9% of rot reduction). The matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry analysis revealed that bacteria with antagonistic activity produce anti-fungal lipopeptides from iturin and fengycin families.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1701-1708
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• 2021

Food safety is the most important global health issue due to foodborne pathogens after consumption of contaminated food. Foodborne bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter spp., Bacillus cereus, Vibrio spp., Yersinia enterocolitica and Clostridium perfringens are leading causes of the majority of foodborne illnesses and deaths. These foodborne pathogens often come from the livestock feces, thus, we analyzed fecal microbial communities of three different livestock species to investigate the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in livestock feces using metagenomics analysis. Our data showed that alpha diversities of microbial communities were different according to livestock species. The microbial diversity of cattle feces was higher than that of chicken or pig feces. Moreover, microbial communities were significantly different among these three livestock species (cattle, chicken, and pig). At the genus level, Staphylococcus and Clostridium were found in all livestock feces, with chicken feces having higher relative abundances of Staphylococcus and Clostridium than cattle and pig feces. Genera Bacillus, Campylobacter, and Vibrio were detected in cattle feces. Chicken samples contained Bacillus, Listeria, and Salmonella with low relative abundance. Other genera such as Corynebacterium, Streptococcus, Neisseria, Helicobacter, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas known to be opportunistic pathogens were also detected in cattle, chicken, and pig feces. Results of this study might be useful for controlling the spread of foodborne pathogens in farm environments known to provide natural sources of these microorganisms.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.596-602
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• 2019

In September 2017, the rhizospheric soil of Tetragonia tetragonoides (Pall.) Kuntze was further sampled. One hundred and thirty eight species of microorganisms were isolated from the soil. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, siderophore production, and phosphate degradation were examined in order to confirm bacterial growth from isolated microorganisms. As a result, most strains were able to produce auxins or siderophores and to solubilize phosphate. In addition, 138 isolated strains were treated with tobacco extract and conferred pathogen resistance to host plants upon treatment. As a result, 35 strains that were able to reduce pathophysiology by more the 60% were selected. Among them, 6 strains with high induced systemic resistance (ISR) activity were found. All of these strains belong to the genus Bacillus according to the 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Bacillus aryabhattai KUDC6619 showed outstanding effects with reduced infection in tobacco and pepper plants. Probably, these Bacillus species play a beneficial role by association with T. tetragonoides for its survival in the harsh conditions found on the island of Dokdo.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.260-266
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• 1996

This study was carried out to investigate the bacterial microflora of commercial and traditional Kochujang. Computer aided idetification systems were used to identify the bacteria in Kochujang. Seven genera such as Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Enterococcus, pasteurella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus in commercial process and 10 genera such as Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Enterococcus, Flavimonas, Flavobacterium, Gemella, Pasteurella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus in traditional process were identified. Distribution of genus Bacillus was $56{\sim}70%$ during fermentation in the commercial process and $38{\sim}50%$ in the traditional process. B. lichenoformis strains identified in this study were classified into three types by their physiological characteristics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.922-928
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• 2021

To profile the microbial compositions of Korean traditional fermented paste made from whole soybeans, Doenjang and Cheonggukjang, and compare their taxonomic differences, we analyzed the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA of naturally fermented foods by using next generation sequencing. α-Diversity results showed that values indicating bacterial community abundances (OTUs) and richness (ACE, Chao1) were statistically significant (p=0.0001) in Doenjang and Cheonggukjang. Firmicutes was the most common phylum in both groups, representing 97.02% and 99.67% in the Doenjang and Cheonggukjang groups, respectively. Bacillus was the most dominant genus, accounting for 71.70% and 59.87% in both groups. Linear discriminant (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis was performed to reveal the significant ranking of abundant taxa in different fermented foods. A size-effect threshold of 2.0 on the logarithmic LDA score was used for discriminative functional biomarkers. On the species level, Bacillus subtilis, Tetragenococcus halophilus, and Clostridium arbusti were significantly more abundant in Doenjang than in Cheonggukjang, whereas Bacillus thermoamylovorans, Enterococcus faecium, and Lactobacillus sakei were significantly more abundant in Cheonggukjang than in Doenjang. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) showed that the statistical difference in microbial clusters between the two groups was significant at the confidence level of p=0.001. This research could be used as basic research to identify the correlation between the biochemical characteristics of Korean fermented foods and the distribution of microbial communities.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2019

Bacillus genus are found abundantly in various sites and their secondary metabolites were used as potential agents in agriculture, notably plant growth promoting and bio-control. The objective of this study was to develop the culture conditions of GH1-13 strain including higher cell growth, stable endospore-forming and enhancement of potential agents which are related with plant growth promoting and phytopathogen suppression. The optimal carbon and nitrogen sources were determined by glucose and soy bean flour, respectively, then resulted in $7.5{\times}10^9cells/mL$, $6.8{\times}10^9\;endospore\;cells/mL$ and sporulation yield of 90% after 30 h cultivation in 500 L submerged fermenter at $37^{\circ}C$, pH 7.0. Cells and cell-free supernatant of GH1-13 strains showed the potent antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. It was also confirmed that indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production of GH1-13 strain was greatly increased by addition of 0.3% tryptophan.