• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.537-544
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• 1998

The cultivation conditions of transformant Alcaligenes eutrophus AER5 harboring cloned phbC gene for mass production of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate)[P(3HB-3HV)] containing high molar fraction of 3-hydroxyvalerate (3-HV) were investigated. In two-stage batch cultivation, transformant accumulated P(3HB-3HV) containing 52.2 mol% of 3HV compared to 30 mol% of parent strain A. eutrophus H16. The increased 3-HV molar fraction was due to the amplified activity of PHB synthase participating in condensation of 3-HB and 3-HV. To increase efficiency of P(3HB-3HV) accumulation, fructose was added along with precursor compound valerate, and total cell mass and P(3HB-3HV) concentrations remarkably increased, but not 3-HV molar fraction. The effect of magnesium ion showed that P(3HB-3HV) concentration and 3-HV molar fraction were significantly increased upto 6.1 g/L and 71.3 mol% at 0.01 g/L of MgSO$_4$, respectively. The efficiency of several pH adjuster, NaOH, NaOH and (NH$_4$)$_2$SO$_4$, and NH$_4$OH, on total cell mass, p(3HB-3HV) concentration, and 3-HV molar fraction was also compared. To overcome the disadvantage of two-stage cultivation, one-stage intermittent fed-batch cultivation was attempted, such a way 10.0 g/L of fructose was supplied for cell growth at initial 36 hr and then 10.0 g/L of valerate and 5.0 g/L of fructose were applied to induce the accumulation of P(3HB-3HV), consequently, 10.4 g/L of P(3HB-3HV) with 38 mol% of 3-HV fraction could be obtained after 72 hr. These results can be used for elucidating cultivation strategy for mass production of P(3HB-3HV) containing high 3-HV molar fraction using transformant A. eutrophus AER5 harboring cloned phbC gene.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.572-581
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• 2012

In this study, we compared growth pattern, floc yield, Exo-polysaccharides (EPS) production, Poly-${\beta}$-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulation, resistance to osmotic and acid stress in Methylobacterium strains CBMB20, CBMB27, CBMB35, and CBMB110. Modified high C:N ratio medium denoted as HCN-AMS medium was used with a C:N ratio of 30:1. The HCN-AMS medium favored increased growth in all the studied strains. All Methylobacterium strains tested positive for EPS production and showed positive fluorescence with calcoflour stain. Elevated levels of EPS production from 4.2 to 75.0% was observed in HCN-AMS medium. Accumulation of PHB in HCN-AMS medium increased by 3.8, 36.7, and 12.0% in strains CBMB27, CBMB35, and CBMB110 respectively. Among the abiotic stresses, osmotic stress-induced growth inhibition of Methylobacterium strains was found to be lowered when grown in HCN-AMS medium. Likewise, growth inhibition due to acid stress at pH 5.0 was lower for strains grown in HCN-AMS medium compared to growth in AMS medium. Enhanced survivability under stress conditions may be attributed to the high EPS and PHB production at increased carbon concentration in the growth medium.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.810-819
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• 2000

Poly(p-hydroxybenzoate) (PHB)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) 8/2 thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester, poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN), and PET ternary blend was spun to fiber by melt spinninB process, and tensile properties of the fibers were measured. The matrix of the fibers, PET and PEN, were dissolved in ο-chlorophenol at 55$^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours, and the liquid crystalline polymer fibrils were observed using a scanning electron microscope. Halpin-Tsai equation for modulus calculation of short fiber reinforced composite and the rule of mixture for continuous reinforcement composite were modified, and the tensile modulus were calculated and compared with experimental modulus. To minimize difference between the theoretical and the experimental moduli, dimensionless viscosity constant (K) was given and used to modify two equations. The theoretical tensile modulus using the newly modified equations presentel a similar to the experimental tensile modulus of composite, and the modified equations presented a unique way to determine the tensile modulus of the liquid crystalline polymer reinforced thermoplastic composites.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.349-356
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• 1995

To produce PHA(polyhydroxyalkanoic acid) from microbr, dozens of microorganism have been screened from sewage sludge. Selected a strain HJ out of 50 strains of PHA producing bacteria has a capability of accumulating large amounts of PHB/HV copolymer when grown in batch culture with a single carbon source (glucose) that was not generally considered as precursor of hydroxyvalerate monomer unit. The strain HJ was identified as the genus Pseudomonas with respect to morphological, cultural, and biochemical characteristics. The optimal temperature and pH for cell growth were $37^{\circ}C$ and 7.0. The optimal medium compositions for cell growth were glucose 1% as a carbon source, (NH4) 2SO4 0.2% as a nitrogen source, K2HPO4 0.3%, and KH2PO4 0.45%. TO investigate she optimal condition for PHA production two-step cultivation method was employed. PHA production was inducted by deficiency of NH4+, SO4-2, Mg+2. Besides carbon source, deficiency of all nutrients stimulated PHA productivity but deficiency of NH4+ stimulated the most HV monomer content. The highest PHA production was C/N molar ratio 95.2. Pseudomonas sp. HJ was also able to pyoduc PHB/HV copolymer when cultivated on alkane, alkanoate, alcohol as carbon sources. The contents of PHA and she proportions of hydroxyvalerate monomer units varied depending on the carbon sources. Especially Pseudomonas sp. HJ was able to incorporate hydroxyvalerate into PHB/HV to level as high as from 49 to 74 mol% when grown in a medium containing hexadecane and propionate. The purified PHA was identified PHB/HV copolymer by HNMR analysis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.238-240
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• 1995

A novel and simple purification method for microbial $poly-{\beta}-hydroxybutyrate$ (PHS) was developed. Sodium hydroxide was found to be efficient for digesting cell materials. Initial biomass concentration, NaOH concentation, digestion time, and incubation temperature were optimized. When 40 g/l of biomass was incubated in 0.1 N NaOH at $30^{\circ}C$ for 1 h, PHB purity of 88.4% with a weight average molecular weight ($M_w$) of 770,000 and a polydispersity index (PI) of 2.4 was recovered with a yield of 90.8% from the biomass which initially contained PHB of a $M_w$ of 780,000 and a PI of 2.3.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.485-492
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• 2023

Methylorubrum extorquens, a facultative methylotroph, assimilates C₁ compounds and accumulates poly-β-hydroxylbutyrate (PHB) as carbon and energy sources. The ethylmalonyl pathway is central to the carbon metabolism of M. extorquens, and is linked with a serine cycle and a PHB biosynthesis pathway. Understanding the ethylmalonyl pathway is vital in utilizing methylotrophs to produce value-added chemicals. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the mesaconyl-CoA hydratase from M. extorquens (MeMeaC) that catalyzes the reversible conversion of mesaconyl-CoA to β-methylmalyl-CoA. The crystal structure of MeMeaC revealed that the enzyme belongs to the MaoC-like dehydratase domain superfamily and functions as a trimer. In our current MeMeaC structure, malic acid occupied the substrate binding site, which reveals how MeMeaC recognizes the β-methylmalyl-moiety of its substrate. The active site of the enzyme was further speculated by comparing its structure with those of other MaoC-like hydratases.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.771-774
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• 2001

NADPH has been known as a regulating factor the biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanote(PHA), and the flux of NADPH for PHA biosynthesis could be enforced by the amplification of zwf gene encoding glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The recombinant plasmid pCZWF harboring PHA synthase, phbC from R. eutropha and zwf from E. coli were constructed, and were transformed to R. eutropha by electroporation. The biosynthesis of P(3HB-3HV) copolymer were carried out in transformant R. eutropha through the two-stage cultivation method using valerate as a precursor. The biosynthesis rate and PHA content of transformant R. eutropha harboring pCZWF were increased compared with transformant R. eutropha harboring only phbC. Especially, the molar fraction of 3HV was increased from 68% to 74% due to amplification of zwf gene. And the biosynthesis P(3HB-3HV) and P(3HB-4HB) carried out using propionate and ${\gamma}-butyrolactone$ as a precursor, respectively. But the rate, content, and molar fraction of biosynthesis copolymers were not influenced appreciably. This may be due to the reduced availability of NADPH.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.737-742
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• 1999

The extremely halophilic archaebacterium Haloarcular sp. EH-1 was isolated from solar salts. Haloarcular sp. EH-1 accumulated poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) as intracellular granules. PHA production in batch culture have been studied. The PHA was identified as poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid-co-3-hydroxyvaleric acid) (PHB/HV) of 3-hydroxybutyric acid and 3-hydroxyvaleric acid by the analysis of GC, IR and NMR. The melting temperature of PHB/HV was 152.46$^{\circ}C$, viscosity was 1.25 ㎗/g, and molecular weight was $1.44 X 10^5.$

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.392-396
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• 1989

Methylobacterium organophilum, a facultative methylotroph was cultivated on a methanol as a sole carbon and energy source. The cell growth was affected by the various components of minimal synthetic medium and the medium composition was optimized with 0.5% (v/v) methanol at pH 6.8 and at 3$0^{\circ}C$. The maximum specific growth rate of M. organophilum was achieved to 0.26 hr$^{-1}$ in the optimized medium which has following composition: Methanol, 0.5% (v/v):(NH$_4$)$_2$SO$_4$, 1.0g/l:KH$_2$PO$_4$, 2.13g/l:KH$_2$PO$_4$, 1.305g/ι:MgSO$_4$.7$H_2O$. 45g/l and trace elements (CaCl$_2$.2$H_2O$, 3.3mg:FeSO$_4$.7$H_2O$, 1.3mg:MnSO$_4$.4$H_2O$, 130$\mu\textrm{g}$:ZnSO$_4$.5$H_2O$, 40$\mu\textrm{g}$:Na$_2$MoO$_4$.2$H_2O$, 40$\mu\textrm{g}$:CoCl$_2$.6$H_2O$, 40$\mu\textrm{g}$:H$_3$BO$_3$, 30$\mu\textrm{g}$ per liter). By the limitation of nitrogen and deficiency of Mn$^{+2}$ or Fe$^{+2}$, the cell growth was significantly repressed. Methanol greatly repressed the cell growth and the complete inhibition was observed at concentration above 4% (v/v). In order to overcome the methanol inhibition and to prevent the methanol limitation, intermittent feeding of methanol was conducted by a D.O.-stat technique. PHB production by M. organophilum was stimulated by deficiency of nutrients such as NH$_{4}^{+}$, SO$_{4}^{-2}$, $Mg^{+2}$, $K^{+}$, or PO$_{4}^{-3}$ in the medium. The maximum PHB content was obtained as 58% of dry cell weight under deficiency of potassium ion in the optimized synthetic medium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.847-853
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• 1999

A Pseudomonas sp. strain that is capable of utilizing dicarboxylic acids as a sole carbon source was isolated from activated sludge by using the enrichment culture technique. This organism accumulated polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) with an unusual pattern of monomer units that depends on the carbon sources used. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) homopolyester was synthesized from glucose or small $C_{-even}$ alkanoic acids, such as butyric acid and hexanoic acid. Accumulation of PHB homopolyester was also observed in the cells grown on $C_{-odd}$ dicarboxylic acids, such as heptanedioic acid and nonanedioic acid as the sole carbon sources. In contrast, a copolyester consisting of 6 mol% 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 94 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) was produced with a PHA content of as much as 36% of the cellular dry matter. This strain produced PHAs consisting both of the short-chain-length (SCL) and the medium-chain-length (MCL) 3-hydroxyacid units when heptanoic acid to undecanoic acid were fed as the sole carbon sources. Most interestingly, polyester consisting of significant amount of relevant fractions, 3HB, 3HV, and 3-hydroxyheptanoate (3HHp), was accumulated from heptanoic acid. According to solvent fractionation experiments, the polymer produced from heptanoic acid was a blend of poly(3HHp) and of a copolyester of 3HB, 3HV, and 3HHp units. The hexane soluble fractions contained only 3HHp units while the hexane-insoluble fractions contained 3HB and 3HV units with a small amount of 3HHp unit. The copolyester was an elastomer with unusual mechanical properties. The maximum elongation ratio of the copolyester was 460% with an ultimate strength of 10 MPa, which was very different from those of poly(3HB-co-3HV) copolyesters having similar compositions produced from other microorganisms.