• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.577-581
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• 1993

The amino acid threonine was produced from glycine and ethanol in a reaction mixture using cell free extract of the methylotrophic bacterium isolated from soil and identified as mellthylo-bacterium sp. KJ29. Although the isolate could grow on carbon source other than methanol, only the cell free extract from the cells grown on methanol produced threonine. Methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) activity was present only in the cells grown on methanol when compared to the cells grown on heterotrophic substrates.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.209-217
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• 2000

Mycobacterium sp. strain JCl DSM 3803 grown in methanol showed no methanol dehydrogenase or oxidase activities found in mast methylotrophic bacteria and yeasts, respectively. Even though the methanol-grown cells exhibited a little methanol-dependent oxidation by cytochrome c-dependent methanol dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase, they were not the key enzymes responsible for the methanol oxidation of the cells, in that the cells contained no c-type cytochrome and the methanol oxidizing activity from the partially purified alcohol dehydrogenase was too low, respectively. In substrate switching experiments, we found that only a catalase-peroxidase among the three types of catalase found in glucose-grown cells was highly expressed, in the methanol-grown cells and that its activity was relatively high during the exponential growth phase in Mycobacterium sp. JCl. Therefore, we propose that catalase-peroxidase is an essential enzyme responsible for the methanol metabolism directly Of indirectly in Mycobacterium sp. JCl.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.161-172
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• 1982

In order to compare the metabolic activities of methanol utilizing bacteria, Pseudomonas sp. grown in different carbon sources, changes in respiratory activities, prinicipal enzyme activities for the energy metabolism, and the macromolecular compositions of the cells grown on methanol or glucose were measured. 1. The respiratory activity of cells grown on methanol was higher than that of cells grown on glucose, while glucose exhibited the highest $O_2-consumption$ rate among the different respiratory substrates. 2. TRhe activity of hydroxy pyruvate reductase which participates in serine pathway was high in the cells grown on methanol. However, activities of NAD-linked alcohol dehydrogenase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase were slightly lower in the cells grown on glucose thant on methanol. 4. For succinic dehydrogenase and malic dehydrogenase which take part in TCA cycle, the specific activities were higher in the cells grown on methanol than in those grown on glucose. No activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which participates in pentose monophosphate shunt, was detectable in the cells grown on either carbon sources. 5. Protein contents of the cells grown on methanol increased relatively compared with those of the cells grown on glucose. However, there are no changes in the contents of carbohydrate and nucleic acid.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.209-209
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• 2002

Mycobacterium sp. strain JCl DSM 3803 grown in methanol showed no methanol dehydrogenase or oxidase activities found in mast methylotrophic bacteria and yeasts, respectively. Even though the methanol-grown cells exhibited a little methanol-dependent oxidation by cytochrome c-dependent methanol dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase, they were not the key enzymes responsible for the methanol oxidation of the cells, in that the cells contained no c-type cytochrome and the methanol oxidizing activity from the partially purified alcohol dehydrogenase was too low, respectively. In substrate switching experiments, we found that only a catalase-peroxidase among the three types of catalase found in glucose-grown cells was highly expressed, in the methanol-grown cells and that its activity was relatively high during the exponential growth phase in Mycobacterium sp. JCl. Therefore, we propose that catalase-peroxidase is an essential enzyme responsible for the methanol metabolism directly Of indirectly in Mycobacterium sp. JCl.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.30-39
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• 1997

Acinetobacter sp. strain JC1 DSM 3803, a carboxydobacterium, was found to grow methylotrophically at the expense of methanol and methlamine, but not of methane, formaldehyde, formate, dimethylamine, or trimethylamine, as the sole source of carbon and energy. The doubling times of the bacterium growing on methanol (0.5%, v/v) and methylamine (0.5%, w/v) at 3$0^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.8 were 4.8 h and 5.7 h, respectively. Cells grown on methanol, however, failed to show typical methanol dehydrogenase and oxidase activities. The cell was found to contain no c-type cytochromes. Cells grown on methanol exhibited higher catalase activity than those grown on pyruvate or glucose. The catalase present in the cells also exhibited peroxidase activity. The catalase activity, growth on methanol of the cell, and oxygen consumption by methanol-grown maldehyde dehydrogenase, formaldehyde reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities were detected from cells grown on methanol.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.403-407
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• 1997

Medium components for maximum activity of NAD$^{+}$-dependent formate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.2; FDH) were optimized with a methanol-assimilating yeast Hansenula sp. MS-364, preserved by our laboratory. The maximum activity of the enzyme was obtained when the strain was cultivated at 30$circ$C for 24 hours in a medium containing methanol 3%(v/v), yeast extract 0.8%(w/v), K$_{2}$HPO$_{4}$, 0.1%(w/v), KH$_{2}$PO$_{4}$ 0.1%(W/V), MgSO$_{4}$, 7H$_{2}$O 0.05%(w/v), and the pH of the culture broth was adjusted at 5.0.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.642-648
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• 1996

The effects of EDTA(Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid), Cu, temperature, and gas(methane and oxygen) composition on methanol production from methane with Methylosinus trichosporium were investigated. In this experiment EDTA was found to be a potential methanol dehydrogenase inhibitor since it causes methanol accumulation and 6mM was found to be optimum concentration of EDTA for methanol production. When Cu was added in culture media, the produced methanol concentration level was increased. Hence it is believed that Cu enhanced the particulate methane monooxygenase formation and consequently the addition of Cu could increase the methanol production from methane. In this experiment the optimum concentration of Cu was found to be 1mM for methanol production. When temperature was shifted down from $30^{\circ}C to 25^{\circ}C$, the methanol production level was enhanced by 50%. When the ratio of methane to oxygen in gas phase was increased to 2.3 from 1, produced methanol concentration was also enhanced by 100%.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.134-139
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• 2006

Methanotrophs are microorganisms that possess the unique ability to utilize methane as their sole source of carbon and energy. A novel culture system, known as the compulsory circulation diffusion system, was developed for rapid growth of methanotrophic bacteria. Methanol dehydrogenase (MDH, EC 1.1.99.8) from Methylomicrobium sp. HG-1, which belongs to the type I group of methanotrophic bacteria, can catalyze the oxidation of methanol directly into formaldehyde. This enzyme was purified 8-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity by means of a 4 step procedure and was found in the soluble fraction. The relative molecular weight of the native enzyme was estimated by gel filtration to be 120 kDa. The enzyme consisted of two identical dimers which, in turn, consisted of large and small subunits in an ${\alpha}_2{\beta}_2$ conformation. The isoelectric point was 5.4. The enzymatic activity of purified MDH was optimum at pH 9.0 and $60^{\circ}C$, and remained stable at that temperature for 20 min. MDH was able to oxidize primary alcohols from methanol to octanol and formaldehyde.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.717-724
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• 2016

Methane (CH₄) is the most abundant component in natural gas. To reduce its harmful environmental effect as a greenhouse gas, CH₄ can be utilized as a low-cost feed for the synthesis of methanol by methanotrophs. In this study, several methanotrophs were examined for their ability to produce methanol from CH₄; including Methylocella silvestris, Methylocystis bryophila, Methyloferula stellata, and Methylomonas methanica. Among these methanotrophs, M. bryophila exhibited the highest methanol production. The optimum process parameters aided in significant enhancement of methanol production up to 4.63 mM. Maximum methanol production was observed at pH 6.8, 30℃, 175 rpm, 100 mM phosphate buffer, 50 mM MgCl₂ as a methanol dehydrogenase inhibitor, 50% CH₄ concentration, 24 h of incubation, and 9 mg of dry cell mass ml^-1 inoculum load, respectively. Optimization of the process parameters, screening of methanol dehydrogenase inhibitors, and supplementation with formate resulted in significant improvements in methanol production using M. bryophila. This report suggests, for the first time, the potential of using M. bryophila for industrial methanol production from CH₄.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.391-398
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• 1999

A methylotrophic actinomycetes strain MO-16, which produce the antimicrobial compound, was isolated from soil and supposed as Amycolatopsis sp. based on taxonomic studies. The cell-free extract of methanol-grown strain MO-16 showed dehydrogenase activity for methanol and formaldehyde when various electron acceptors were added for oxidation. On the other hand, methanol did not affect the production of antimicrobial compounds, and organic nitrogen sources such as corn steep liquor and peptone were better than inorganic nitrogen sources. These compounds showed broad antimicrobial spectrum to the tested strains such as bacteria and yeast. The antimicrobial comounds were very stable under heat(121$^{\circ}C$), acid(pH2.0), alkali(pH11.0) treatments. These compounds were isolated by ethylacetate extract, silica gel column chromatography and reverse phase HPLC. Two compounds(peak 1 and 2) were detected as antimicrobial compounds through the HPLC analysis. The peak 2 was purified as a single compound and revealed a 98% purity.