• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1087-1093
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• 2005

The population diversity and seasonal changes of bacterial communities in rice soils were monitored using both culture-dependent approaches and molecular methods. The rice field plot consisted of twelve subplots planted with two genetically-modified (GM) rice and two non-GM rice plants in three replicates. The DGGE analysis revealed that the bacterial community structures of the twelve subplot soils were quite similar to each other in a given month, indicating that there were no significant differences in the structure of the soil microbial populations between GM rice and non-GM rice during the experiment. However, the DGGE profiles of June soil after a sudden flooding were quite different from those of the other months. The June profiles exhibited a few intense DNA bands, compared with the others, indicating that flooding of rice field stimulated selective growth of some indigenous microorganisms. Phylogenetic analysis of l6S rDNA sequences from cultivated isolates showed that, while the isolates obtained from April soil before flooding were relatively evenly distributed among diverse genera such as Arthrobacter, Streptomyces, Terrabacter, and Bacillus/Paenibacillus, those from June soil after flooding mostly belonged to the Arthrobacter species. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences obtained from the soil by cloning showed that April, August, and October had more diverse microorganisms than June. The results of this study indicated that flooding of rice fields gave a significant impact on the indigenous microbial community structure; however, the initial structure was gradually recovered over time after a sudden flooding.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.166-177
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• 2013

Objectives: The genus Legionella is common in aquatic environments. Some species of Legionella are recognized as potential opportunistic pathogens for human, notably Legionella pneumophila that causes, Legionellosis. Thus, we investigated the contamination of Legionella pneumophila on water supply systems in Seoul, including cooling towers, public baths, hospitals and fountains. Methods: The existence of 16S rRNA and mip gene of L. pneumophila was confirmed in the genome of the isolated strains by PCR. Results: During the summer season of 2010 and 2011, Legionella pneumophila were detected from 163 samples (21.1%) out of 772 samples collected. Among the 163 strains of L. pneumophila, eighty one isolates belonged to serogroup 1 (57.4%), 23 isolates were serogroup 5 (16.3%), 21 isolates were serogroup 6 (14.9%), 8 isolates were serogroup 2 (5.79%), and 8 isolates were identified in serogroup 3 (5.7%). Through PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) analysis using Sfi I, genetic types of L. pneumophila were classified into five (A to E) patterns by the band similarity with excess of 70% from public baths. Conclusions: The PFGE patterns of the serotypes showed a tendency for diversity of L. pneumophila. Our results suggest the existence of serological and genetic diversity among the L. pneumophila isolates.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1383-1392
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• 2021

It has been reported that emodin, a major pharmacologically active ingredient of herbal medicines such as Polygonum cuspidatum, Polygonum multiflorum, Rheum palmatum, and Aloe vera, is effective in antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and liver protection. In this study, to investigate the potential of emodin to be used as a skin disease and functional material, the activity related to the improvement of inflammation and skin barrier function was confirmed. To observe the anti-inflammatory effect on HaCaT cells, which are human keratinocytes, cytokine inhibition was confirmed by ELISA kit and protein expression by western blot. In HaCaT cells activated with TNF-α (10 ng/mL)/IFN-γ (10 ng/mL), emodin was treated with each concentration (5, 10, 20, 40) µM. As a result, It was confirmed that the production amount of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 decreased as the concentration of emodin increased. In the experimental results on the expression levels of inflammation-related proteins iNOS and COX-2, it was confirmed that 48% of iNOS and 29% of COX-2 were inhibited compared to control at a concentration of 20 µM of emodin. As an indicator of skin barrier function improvement, the mRNA expression level of filaggrin, involucrin, and loricirn and the production amount of filaggrin, involucrin, and loricirn were confirmed. and excellent results were obtained with an emodin concentration-dependent increase. In particular, filaggrin, which was produced twice as much as the control at a concentration of 20 µM, is a protein involved in the formation of NMF, a natural moisturizing factor, and is known to play an important role in moisturizing the stratum corneum. In conclusion, it was confirmed that emodin can be used as a material for improving inflammation and improving skin barrier function, which is part of the potential for use as a skin disease and functional material. It is believed that if additional research is performed in the future, the scope of its application can be further expanded.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.317-323
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• 2011

Strain A-3, an amylase-producing bacteria, was isolated from coastal seawater near Daecheon in the Republic of Korea. It was seen to possess a single polar flagella and grow well, on ASW-YP agar plates, at temperatures of between $20-37^{\circ}C$. However, it grew more slowly at the temperatures of $15^{\circ}C$ and $40^{\circ}C$. Similarly, it was observed to grow abundantly, in an Artificial Sea Water-Yeast extract-Peptone (ASW-YP) liquid medium, in a pH range of 6-9, but not grow at pHs of 4-5 and a pH of 10. Strain A-3 was noted as being close to Pseudoalteromonas phenolica O-$BC30^T$, Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea $NCIMB1893^T$, Pseudoalteromonas rubra $ATCC29570^T$, and Pseudoalteromonas byunsanensis $FR1199^T$, with 98.30%, 97.86%, 97.78%, and 97.25% similarities respectively, in its 16S rRNA sequence. A phylogenetic tree revealed that strain A-3 and P. phenolica O-$BC30^T$ belong to a clade. However, strain A-3 differed from P. phenolica O-$BC30^T$ in relation to a number of physiological characteristics. Strain A-3 exhibited no growth above 5% NaCl concentrations, no utilization of D-glucose, D-mannose, D-maltose, or D-melibose, and no lipase (C-14) activity. All of these properties strongly indicate that strain A-3 is distant from P. phenolica O-$BC30^T$ and thus led us to name it Pseudoalteromonas sp. A-3. Pseudoalteromonas sp. A-3 produces ${\alpha}$-amylase throughout growth. Maximal amylase activities of 144.48 U/mL and 149.20 U/mL were seen at pH 7.0 and $37^{\circ}C$, respectively. Pseudoalteromonas sp. A-3's high, stable production of ${\alpha}$-amylase in addition to its biochemical features, such as alkalitolerance, suggest that it is a good candidate for industrial applications.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.194-199
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• 2008

Background: Early identification of pathogens can improve the prognosis of patients with ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). In the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of performing multiplex PCR for endotracheal aspirates to detect three important pathogens (P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae and MRSA) in patients with VAP. Methods: The endotracheal aspirates of 24 patients were collected within 24 hours of the diagnosis of VAP for performing multiplex PCR. Forward and reverse primers were designed to target the specific site of each pathogen (the oprL gene for P. aeruginosa, 16S rRNA for K. pneumoniae and the mec gene for MRSA). We analyzed the clinical data of the VAP patients, including the culture reports for the endotracheal aspirates. Results: Twenty-four patients (M:F=18:6, mean age=$70{\pm}11$) with VAP were enrolled. Pathogens were isolated from 11 patients (P. aeruginosa in 2, K. pneumoniae in 1, MRSA in 2, other enteric Gram negative bacilli in 3, S. pneumoniae in 2 and mixed infection in 1). Multiplex PCR detected three cases of P.aeruginosa (2 cases coincided with the culture reports) and four cases of K. pneumoniae (1 matched with the culture report). PCR detected two MRSA cases, which did not coincide with the culture reports. Conclusion: Multiplex PCR of the endotracheal aspirate showed some ability to detect Gram negative bacilli, although caution is required when interpreting the results.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.789-798
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• 2016

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are industrially important microorganisms for probiotics. The recent widespread application of LAB for preparation of functional food is attributable to the accumulating scientific evidence showing their beneficial effects on human health. In this study, we isolated and characterized plant-derived LAB that show angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory and antioxidant activities. The selected strain K2 was isolated from Kimchi, and identified as Lactobacillus plantarum by 16S rRNA gene analysis. The strain grew under static and shaking culture systems. They were also able to grow in different culture conditions like $25^{\circ}C{\sim}37^{\circ}C$ temperature, 4~10 pH range and ~6% NaCl concentration. L. plantarum K2 was highly resistant to acid stress; survival rate of the strain at pH 2.5 and 3 were 80% and 91.6%, respectively. The strain K2 also showed high bile resistance to 0.3% bile bovine and 0.3% bile extract with more than 74% of survival rate. The cell grown on MRS agar plate containing bile extract formed opaque precipitate zones around the colonies, indicating they have bile salt hydrolase activity. The strain showed an inhibitory activity against pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes; antibacterial activity was probably due to the lactic acid. The K2 strain showed relatively higher autoaggregation values, antihypertensive and antioxidant activities. These results suggest that L. plantarum K2 could be not only applied as a pharmabiotic for human health but also is also starter culture applicable to fermentative products.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.196-201
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• 2012

Microorganisms, having the lower decarboxylase activity, among the isolated strains from $cheonggukjang$ and rice-straw in this study were selected by using biogenic amine (BA) media. The selected strains were identified as $Bacillus$ $subtilis$ HH12, $B.$ $subtilis$ HR254, and $Paenibacillus$ $barcinonensis$ KR97, by using 16S rRNA analysis. PCR analysis showed that the histidine decarboxylase ($hdc$) gene was absent in the HH12, HR254, and KR97 strains. However, PCR analysis showed that the tyrosine decarboxylase ($tdc$) gene was present in the HH12, HR254, and KR97 strains. Quantitative analysis of the selected strains by using high-performance liquid chromatography showed that histamine was absent in the HH12, HR254, and KR97 strains. However, these 3 strains showed tyramine concentrations of 6.09, 3.68, and 6.30 mg/L, respectively. These strains produced lower concentrations of amines (approximately 7.9, 0, and 9.3% amines in the HH12, HR254, and KR97 strains, respectively) than the $B.$ $subtilis$ MC138 strain, which showed the higher protease activity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.872-881
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• 2022

In this study, we optimized the composition of the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production medium using response surface methodology on Pantoea agglomerans SRCM 119864 isolated from soil. IAA-producing P. aglomerans SRCM 119864 was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. There are 11 intermediate components known to affect IAA production, hence the effect of each component on IAA production was investigated using a Plackett-Burman design (PBD). Based on the PBD, sucrose, tryptone, and sodium chloride were selected as the main factors that enhanced the IAA production at optimal L-tryptophan concentration. The predicted maximum IAA production (64.34 mg/l) was obtained for a concentration of sucrose of 13.38 g/l, of tryptone of 18.34 g/l, of sodium chloride of 9.71 g/l, and of L-tryptophan of 6.25 g/l using a the hybrid design experimental model. In the experiment, the nutrient broth medium supplemented with 0.1% L-tryptophan as the basal medium produced 45.24 mg/l of IAA, whereas the optimized medium produced 65.40 mg/l of IAA, resulting in a 44.56% increase in efficiency. It was confirmed that the IAA production of the designed optimal composition medium was very similar to the predicted IAA production. The statistical significance and suitability of the experimental model were verified through analysis of variance (ANOVA). Therefore, in this study, we determined the optimal growth medium concentration for the maximum production of IAA, which can contribute to sustainable agriculture and increase crop yield.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.362-367
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• 2009

Among total 176 strains with antialgal effects isolated from So-ok stream in Korea, Pseudomonas aeruginosa AJ1 showed the highest removal efficiency for an algal species Microcystis aeruginosa (clear zone of diameter 50.0 mm on algal lawn after 20 days). The algal growth was suppressed even when the supernatant of AJ1 culture was applied, suggesting that extracellular substances are responsible for its antialgal activity. The removal activity of AJ1 was optimal under the following condition: pH 8, $30^{\circ}C$, and mannitol as a carbon source. The antialgal activity of AJ1 appeared to be dependent of the growth phase of M. aeruginosa, i.e., the highest at the early phase, but not its own phase. As expected, the algicidal effect was improved as the amount of the treated supernatant was increased; the highest removal efficiency (80.3%) was achieved when 40 ml/L of the supernatant was used. Interestingly, however, the removal rate was opposite. The highest removal rate ($8.2{\mu}g$ chl-a/ml supernatant/day) was achieved when low concentration (10 ml/L) was applied. These results suggest that P. aeruginosa AJ1 is a promising biological agent to control the problematic algal bloom.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2019

In this study, effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) starvation on the cell growth and fatty acid (FA) production of newly isolated freshwater microalgae were investigated. The microalgae were identified as Chlorella sp. and Parachlorella sp. through 18S rRNA sequencing. Optimal culture temperature and light intensity were investigated using a high-throughput photobioreator, and the result was validated in 0.5 L bubble column photobioreactors using BG-11 without NaNO₃ and/or K₂HPO₄. Under nutrient starvation conditions, total FA contents of the microalgae were significantly changed rather than FA composition. Starvation of both N and P was most effective for increasing FA contents in Parachlorella sp (24.4±0.1%) whereas highest FA contents (42.6±1.8%) was achieved when only P was starved in Chlorella sp. among tested conditions. These results suggest an effective strategy for increasing FA production from microalgae using appropriate nutrient starvation.