• KSBB Journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2010

Six strains of Ralstonia eutropha were grown to investigate characteristics of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) synthesis from vegetable oils or glycerol. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) homopolymer was formed using soybean oil, olive oil, or glycerol as carbon source, while poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) or poly(3-hydroxybutyrateco-3-hydroxyvalerate) copolymers were synthesized by co-feeding $\gamma$-butyrolactone or pentanoic acid, respectively. Optimum strain was determined as R. eutropha KCTC 2662 in terms of final cell concentration and PHA content. From 20 g/L of soybean oil (optimum substrate), cell concentration and PHA content at 72 h ranged 1.7~9.2 g/L and 70~92 wt%, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1142-1149
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• 2009

Several bioactive metabolites, including pyrrolnitrin, N-acylhomoserine lactones, and polyhydroxyalkanoates were isolated from Burkholderia sp. O33. Effects of various nutrients, including sugars, gluconolactone, glycerol, tryptophan, chloride, and zinc were investigated in relation to the production of these metabolites. Logarithmic increase of pyrrolnitrin was observed between 2-5 days and reached a maximum at 7-10 days. Tryptophan concentration reached the maximum at 3 days, whereas 7-chlorotryptophan was gradually increased throughout the studies. Among various carbon sources, gluconolactone, trehalose, and glycerol enhanced pyrrolnitrin production, whereas strong inhibitory effects were found with glucose. Relative concentrations of pyrrolnitrin and its precursors were in the order of pyrrolnitrin$\gg$dechloroaminopyrrolnitrin or aminopyrrolnitrin throughout the experiments. Among three N-acylhomoserine lactones, the N-octanoyl analog was the most abundant quorum sensing signal, of which the concentrations reached the maximum in 2-3 days, followed by a rapid dissipation to trace level. No significant changes in pyrrolnitrin biosynthesis were observed by external addition of N-acylhomoserine lactones. Polyhydroxyalkanoates accumulated up to 3-4 days and decreased slowly thereafter. According to the kinetic analyses, no strong correlations were found between the levels of pyrrolnitrin, N-acylhomoserine lactones, and polyhydroxyalkanoates.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.853-861
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• 2010

High substrate costs decrease the profitability of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) production, and thus low-cost carbon substrates coming from agricultural and industrial residuals are tested for the production of these biopolymers. Among them, crude glycerol, formed as a by-product during biodiesel production, seems to be the most promising source of carbon. The object of this study was to characterize the mixed population responsible for the conversion of crude glycerol into PHAs by cultivation-dependent and -independent methods. Enrichment of the microbial community was monitored by applying the Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA), and the identification of community members was based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of cultivable species. Molecular analysis revealed that mixed populations consisted of microorganisms affiliated with four bacterial lineages: ${\alpha}$, ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroides. Among these, three Pseudomonas strains and Rhodobacter sp. possessed genes coding for polyhydroxyalkanoates synthase. Comparative analysis revealed that most of the microorganisms detected by direct molecular analysis were obtained by the traditional culturing method.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.406-420
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• 1995

Polyhydroxyalkanoates[PHAs] are the polyester of hydroxyalkanoates(HAs) synthesized by numerous bacteria as an intracellular carbon and energy storage compound and accumulated as granules in the cytoplasm of the cells under unbalanced growth condition in the presence of excess carbon source. Even though PHAs have been recognized as good candidates for biodegradable plastics, their high price compared with conventional plastics has limited their use in a wide mange of applications. To reduce the high production cost of PHAs, many group of scientists have devoted much efforts to improve productivity by employing various microorganisms and by developing efficient culture techniques. The strategies of producing PHAs to a high concentration with high productivity and their potential applications are reviewed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.363-370
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• 2015

The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) was investigated. The experiments were performed in two fabricated SBRs (4 L) of different oxidation state. Synthetic wastewater was used as substrate, using C/N/P ratio of 42:10:1. SBR 1 and SBR 2 were operated in aerobic dynamic feeding (ADF) and anaerobic/oxic dynamic feeding (AODF) condition, respectively. ADF provide feast and famine in aerobic condition, while AODF in anaerobic/oxic condition. PHAs production was found high in AODF than AOF. Maximum PHAs content of 40.0% (w/w)of biomass were produced in AODF mode. Produced PHAs structural and thermal property were good.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2007

Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (MCL-PHAs), which have constituents with a typical chain length of $C_{6}-C_{14}$, are polyesters that are synthesized and accumulated in a wide variety of Gram-negative bacteria, mainly pseudomonads. These biopolyesters are promising materials for various applications because they have useful mechanical properties and are biodegradable and biocompatible. The versatile metabolic capacity of some Pseudomonas spp. enables them to synthesize MCL-PHAs that contain various functional substituents; these MCL-PHAs are of great interest because these functional groups can improve the physical properties of the polymers, allowing the creation of tailor-made products. Moreover, some functional substituents can be modified by chemical reactions to obtain more useful groups that can extend the potential applications of MCL-PHAs as environmentally friendly polymers and functional biomaterials for use in biomedical fields. Although MCL-PHAs are water-insoluble, hydrophobic polymers, they can be degraded by microorganisms that produce extracellular MCL-PHA depolymerase. MCL-PHA-degraders are relatively uncommon in natural environments and, to date, only a limited number of MCL-PHA depolymerases have been investigated at the molecular level. All known MCL-PHA depolymerases share a highly significant similarity in amino acid sequences, as well as several enzymatic characteristics. This paper reviews recent advances in our knowledge of MCL-PHAs, with particular emphasis on the findings by our research group.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.594-601
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• 2010

Azotobacter chroococcum H23 (CECT 4435), Azotobacter vinelandii UWD, and Azotobacter vinelandii (ATCC 12837), members of the family Pseudomonadaceae, were used to evaluate their capacity to grow and accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using two-phase olive mill wastewater (TPOMW, alpeorujo) diluted at different concentrations as the sole carbon source. The PHAs amounts (g/l) increased clearly when the TPOMW samples were previously digested under anaerobic conditions. The MNR analysis demonstrated that the bacterial strains formed only homopolymers containing $\beta$-hydroxybutyrate, either when grown in diluted TPOMW medium or diluted anaerobically digested TPOMW medium. COD values of the diluted anaerobically digested waste were measured before and after the aerobic PHA-storing phase, and a clear reduction (72%) was recorded after 72 h of incubation. The results obtained in this study suggest the perspectives for using these bacterial strains to produce PHAs from TPOMW, and in parallel, contribute efficiently to the bioremediation of this waste. This fact seems essential if bioplastics are to become competitive products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.338-347
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• 2021

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a family of microbial polyesters that are used as biodegradable plastics in replacement of conventional plastics for various applications. However, the high production cost is the barrier for PHA market expansion. This study aimed to utilize food waste as low-cost feedstock to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) by Haloferax mediterranei. The effects of acetate (Ac), propionate (Pr), butyrate (Bu), and the short-chain carboxylates derived from food waste were examined on the microbial growth and PHBV production. Results showed that a mixture of carboxylates provided a 55% higher PHBV yield than glucose. The food-waste-derived nutrients achieved the yields of 0.41 to 0.54 g PHBV/g Ac from initial loadings of 450 mg/l to 1,800 mg/l Ac of total carboxylates. And the consumption of individual carboxylate varied between different compositions of the carbon source. The present study demonstrates the potential of using food waste as feedstock to produce PHBV by Haloferax mediterranei, which can provide economic benefits to the current PHA industry. Meanwhile, it will also help promote organic waste reduction in landfills and waste management in general.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.110-116
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• 2022

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are emerging as alternatives to plastics by replacing fossil fuels with renewable raw substrates. Herein, we present the construction of engineered Escherichia coli strains to produce short-chain-length PHAs (scl-PHAs), including the monomers 4-hydroxyvalerate (4HV) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) produced from levulinic acid (LA). First, an E. coli strain expressing genes (lvaEDABC) from the LA metabolic pathway of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 was constructed to generate 4HV-CoA and 3HV-CoA. Second, both PhaAB enzymes from Cupriavidus necator H16 were expressed to supply 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB)-CoA from acetyl-CoA. Finally, PHA synthase (PhaC_Cv) from Chromobacterium violaceum was introduced for the subsequent polymerization of these three monomers. The resulting E. coli strains produced four PHAs (w/w% of dry cell weight): 9.1 wt% P(4HV), 1.7 wt% P(3HV-co-4HV), 24.2 wt% P(3HB-co-4HV), and 35.6 wt% P(3HB-co-3HV-co-4HV).

• Bioindustry News
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.47-55
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• 1996