• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.481-489
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• 2023

The taste and quality of soy sauce, a fermented liquid condiment, is greatly influenced by microbial metabolism during fermentation. To investigate the microbiological characteristics of ganjang during the initial fermentation process, we prepared meju (fermented soybean) blocks fermented with starter cultures and solar salts and analyzed the microbial community quantitively using 16S rRNA gene profiling from ganjang that had been fermented over a five-week period. The ganjang samples were collected and analyzed after soaking for week one (1W), three (3W), and five (5W) weeks. We found that Halomonadaceae was significantly higher in the 1W group (89.83%) than the 3W and 5W groups (14.46%, and 13.78%, respectively). At a species level, Chromohalobacter beijerinckii and Chromohalobacter canadensis were the dominant species in the 1W group but several taxa such as Bacillus subtilis, Pediococcus acidilactici, and Enterococcus faecalis were more abundant in the 3W and 5W groups. Pearson correlation analysis of the relative abundance of the bacteria showed a negative correlation between Chromohalobacter and two bacterial genera Bacillus and Enterococcus. Beta-diversity showed a statistical distinction between the 1W and the 3W and 5W groups, while no significance was evident between the 3W and 5W groups. Linear discriminant effect size analysis was used to identify biomarkers and significant differences in the relative abundance of several halophilic bacteria, Bacillus sp. and lactic acid bacteria at 1W, 3W, and 5W, recpectively, which indicates the important role of the bacterial community at these time points.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.1115-1124
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• 2013

The present study was conducted to ensure the diversity of domestic solar salt by analyzing the composition and microbiological characteristics of solar salt (from Docho island: DS) and the flower of salt produced in different Korean salt flats (Sinui island: SF, Bigum island: BF, and Docho island: DF). The analyses showed that the moisture content of the three types of flower of salt and solar salt ranged from 10.54~13.82% and NaCl content ranged from 78.81~84.61%. The mineral content of those salts ranged from 3.57~5.51%. The content of insoluble matter in these salts was $0.01{\pm}0.00{\sim}0.05{\pm}0.00%$. The sand content of these salts was $0.01{\pm}0.01{\sim}0.03{\pm}0.01%$. By Hunter's color value analysis, the color of the flower of salt was brighter and whiter than solar salt. The salinity of the flower of salt was a little higher than solar salt as well. The magnesium and potassium ion content of DF was $9,886.72{\pm}104.78mg/kg$ and $2,975.23{\pm}79.73mg/kg$, respectively, which was lower than the content in SF, BF, and DS. The heavy metal content of all salts was acceptable under the Korean Food Sanitation Law. The flower of salt was confirmed to be sweeter and preferable to solar salt. More than 80% of the solar salt crystals were 2~3 mm in size, whereas crystals from the flower of salt were 0.5~2 mm in size. The bacterial diversity of DF and DS were investigated by culture and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) methods. The number of cultured bacteria in flower of salt was approximately three times more than solar salt. By DGGE analysis, major microbes of DF were Maritimibacter sp., Cupriavidus sp., and unculturable bacteria, and those of DS were Cupriavidus sp., Dunalidella salina and unculturable bacteria. The results of DGGE analysis showed that major microorganisms in solar salts were composed of unidentified and unculturable bacteria and only a few microorganisms were culturable.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2018

Objectives: The pathogenic Vibrios genus denotes halophilic bacteria that are distributed in aquatic environments, including both sea and freshwater. Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus are the most important species since they can be potent human pathogens and leading causes of septicemia, wound infections, and seafood borne gastroenteritis. The recent emergence of a potential pandemic clone, V. cholera serotype O1 and the cholera outbreak in South Korea in 2016 indicates the importance of consistent surveillance of pathogenic Vibrio genus within coastal areas. Methods: The present study was undertaken to determine where and how vibrios live in the aquatic environment adjacent to coastal areas of South Korea. For this survey, a total of 838 samples were obtained at 35 different sites in South Korean coastal areas during the period from January 2016 to December 2016. Pathogenic vibrios was determined using the real-time PCR method, and its clones were isolated using three selective plating media. We also monitored changes in seawater and atmospheric temperature, salinity, turbidity, and hydrogen ion concentration at the collection points. Results: The total isolation rates of V. vulnificus, V. cholera (non-pathogenic, non-O1, non-O139 serogroups), and V. parahaemolyticus from seawater specimens in 2016 were 14.2, 13.48, and 67.06%, respectively. Conclusions: The isolation rates of pathogenic vibrios genus showed a positive correlation with temperature of seawater and atmosphere but were negatively correlated with salinity and turbidity.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.355-361
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• 1986

Vibrio vulnificus, a halophilic Vibrio has gained worldwide attention as a cause of severe and frequently fatal wound infections and life-threatening septicemia. For this reason V. vulnificus is thought to produce extreme hemoconcentration and rapid death after infection, and because V. vulnificus is thought to be less susceptible to bactericidal activity of normal human serum, the present study was undertaken to assess the susceptibility of V. vulnificus to human serum bactericidal activity with that of V. parahemolyticus and V. cholerae and to assess the effect of Vibrio species, Salmonella typhimurium and E. coli on hematocrit values in experimentally infected mice. Serum bactericidal activity against both V. vulnificus and V. cholerae was higher than against V. parahemoltyicus. Survival of the test strains in heat-inactivated human serum was greater than that in heat-uninactiveted serum. Both V. parahemolyticus and V. cholerae produced slight hemoconcentration within 2 to 6 hr after intraperitoneal injection of $10^7$ viable bacteria into mice. In contrast, V. vulnificus, S. typhimurium and E. coli produced hemodilution rather than hemoconcentration after 4 or 6 hr after infection. With these results the author can conclude that V. vulnificus is more susceptible to serum bactericidal activity than other Vibrio species, and V. vulnificus did not produce hemoconcentration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1080-1086
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• 2005

Membranes prepared from Vibrio natriegens oxidized both NADH and deamino-NADH as substrates. The maximum activity of the membrane-bound NADH oxidase was obtained at about pH 8.5 in the presence of 0.2 M NaCl, whereas that of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase was obtained at about pH 7.5 in the presence of 0.2 M NaCl. Electron transfer from NADH or deamino-NADH to ubiquinone-l or oxygen generated a considerable membrane potential (${\Delta}{\psi}$), which occurred even in the presence of $20{\mu}M$ carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). However, the ${\Delta}{\psi}$ was completely collapsed by the combined addition of $10{\mu}M$ CCCP and $20{\mu}M$ monensin. On the other hand, the activity of the NADH oxidase and the ${\Delta}{\psi}$ generated by the NADH oxidase system were inhibited by about $90\%$ with $10{\mu}M$ HQNO, whereas the activity of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and the ${\Delta}{\psi}$ generated at the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase segment were inhibited by about $60\%$. Interestingly, the activity of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase and the ${\Delta}{\psi}$ generated at the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase segment were resistant to the respiratory chain inhibitors such as rotenone, capsaicin, and $AgNO_3$, and the activity of the NADH oxidase and the ${\Delta}{\psi}$ generated by the NADH oxidase system were very sensitive only to $AgNO_3$. It was concluded, therefore, that V. natriegens cells possess a $AgNO_3$-resistant respiratory $Na^+$ pump that is different from the $AgNO_3$-sensitive respiratory $Na^+$ pump of a marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1078-1085
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• 2018

A salt-tolerant cellulase secreted by a marine Bacillus sp. SR22 strain with wide resistance to temperature and pH was purified and characterized. Its approximate mass was 37 kDa. The endoglucanase, named as Bc22Cel, was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration chromatography, and extraction from the gel after non-reducing sodium dodecyl sufate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimal pH value and temperature of Bc22Cel were 6.5 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. The purified Bc22Cel showed a considerable halophilic property, being able to maintain more than 70% of residual activity even when pre-incubated with 1.5 M NaCl for 1 h. Kinetic analysis of the purified enzyme showed the $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ to be 0.704 mg/ml and $29.85{\mu}mol{\cdot}ml^{-1}{\cdot}min^{-1}$, respectively. Taken together, the present data indicate Bc22Cel as a potential and useful candidate for industrial applications, such as the bioconversion of sugarcane bagasse to its derivatives.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1979

A bacteriological survey was carried out to get hold of the distribution of pathogenic enteric bacteria in Korea. The total number of 2,013 specimens were obtained from various sources; 1,407 specimens from marine products circulated in the markets, sewage, and 606 rectal swabs from persons. All the specimens were collected in Seoul, Chumunjin(Kangwondo), and Gwangcheon(Chungcheongnam-do) during 1978. The isolation and identification of enteric pathogens from the specimens were performed by means of bacteriological studies. 1. The isolation rates of the pathogenic enterobacteria among the total 2,013 specimens are as follows: Salmonella species 0.05%(1 strain), Shigella species 0.50%(10 strains), and Vibrio parahaemolyticus 0.35%(7 strains). 2. One salmonella strain was isolated from marine products circulated in the market in Seoul. Its serotype was identified as group $C_1$. 3. Ten shigella strains were isolated from various sources: 0.45% from natural environments and 0.05% from rectal swabs. The distribution of shigella serotype was identified as Sh. boydii 90%(9 strains), Sh. sonnei 10%(1 strain). 4. Seven strains of V. parahaemolyticus were isolated from natural environments. In addition, 40 strains of halophilic vibrios nontypable with anti-K antisera were also isolated. Of the 7 strains, the 2 strains were agglutinated with type K-32, each 1 strain of the others with K-17, K-19, K-36, K-39, K-56.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.377-385
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• 2014

In this study, a wastewater treatment system for hypersaline wastewater utilizing the Hypersaline Wastewater Treatment Community (HWTC) has been developed. The hypersaline wastewater treatment efficiency and microbial community of the HWTC were investigated. The average removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand were 84% in an HRT of 2.5 days. Microbial community analysis, by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments and 16S rRNA gene clone library, revealed community diversity. The 16S rRNA gene analysis of dominant microbial bacteria in 4% hypersaline wastewater confirmed the presence of Halomonas sp. and Paenibacillus sp. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the taxonomic affiliation of the dominant species in the HWTC was ${\gamma}$-proteobacteria and firmicutes. These results indicate the possibility that an appropriate hypersaline wastewater treatment system can be designed using acclimated sludge with a halophilic community.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.45-48
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• 2002

Microbial rhodopsins, photoactive 7-transmembrane helix proteins that use retinal as their chromophore, were observed initially in the Archaea and appeared to be restricted to extreme halophilic environments. Our understanding of the abundance and diversity of this family has been radically transformed by findings over the past three years. Genome sequencing of cultivated microbes as well as environmental genomics have unexpectedly revealed archaeal rhodopsin homologs in the other two domains of life as well, namely Bacteria and Eucarya. Organisms containing these homologs inhabit such diverse environments as salt flats, soil, freshwater, and surface and deep ocean waters, and they comprise a broad phylogenetic range of microbial life, including haloarchaea, proteobacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, and algae. Analysis of the new microbial rhodopsins and their expression and structural and functional characterization reveal that they fulfill both ion transport and sensory functions in various organisms, and use a variety of signaling mechanisms. We have obtained the first crystallographic structure for a photosensory member of this family, the phototaxis receptor sensory rhodopsin II (SRII, also known as phoborhodopsin) that mediates blue-light avoidance by the haloarchaeon Natronobacterium pharaonis. The structure obtained from x-ray diffraction of 3D crystals prepared in a cubic lipid phase reveals key features responsible for its spectral tuning and its sensory function. The mechanism of SRII signaling fits a unified model for transport and signaling in this widespread family of phototransducers.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.313-319
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• 2018

Halophilic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from myeolchi-jeotgal (23% NaCl, w/v) fermented in jangdok (Korean earthenware) located outside a house. They were identified as Tetragenococcus halophilus by 16S rRNA and recA gene sequencing. Four T. halophilus isolates showing high protease activities were selected for further studies. Four strains grew well, reaching $OD_{600}$ values of 0.75-0.92 at 18% NaCl content (w/v) and 0.28-0.44 at 23% salt. They showed rapid growth, attaining $OD_{600}$ values of 1.1-1.2 at $20-30^{\circ}C$, but did not grow at $4^{\circ}C$. At $15^{\circ}C$, the highest $OD_{600}$ values, which exceeded 0.6, were observed at 20 days, and were higher than those of cultures at $37^{\circ}C$ and $42^{\circ}C$ (approximately 0.5). Four isolates grew best in broth where the initial pH was adjusted to 8 and did not grow at $pH{\leq}4$. T. halophilus BS2-36 showed the highest survival ratio of 18.7% after 2 hours of exposure at pH 3. BS2-36 showed the highest survival ratio (1.29%) in presence of 0.3% bile salts. T. halophilus BS2-36 seems a promising candidate as a starter for jeotgal and other fermented foods with high salinities.