• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.220-225
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• 2019

Studies based on microbial community analyses have increased in the recent decade since the development of next generation sequencing technology. Associations of gut microbiota with host's health are one of the major outcomes of microbial ecology filed. The major approach for microbial community analysis includes the sequencing of variable regions of 16S rRNA genes, which does not provide the information of bacterial activities. Here, we conducted RNA-based microbial community analysis and compared results obtained from DNA- and its cDNA-based microbial community analyses. Our results indicated that these two approaches differed in the ratio of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, known as an obesity indicator, as well as abundance of some key bacteria in gut metabolisms such as butyrate producers and probiotics strains. Therefore, cDNA-based microbial community may provide different insights regarding roles of gut microbiota compared to the previous studies where DNA-based microbial community analyses were performed.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.431-440
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• 2019

Purpose: No national survey has yet described the guidelines followed by Korean pediatricians to treat acute gastroenteritis (AGE). An online survey was performed to investigate the management of AGE followed by members of The Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, and the results were compared between pediatric gastroenterologists (PG) and general pediatricians (GP). Methods: Questionnaires were sent to pediatricians between June 2 and 4, 2018 regarding the type of hospital, indications for admission, antiemetic and antidiarrheal drugs and antibiotics prescribed, and dietary changes advised. Results: Among the 400 pediatricians approached, 141 pediatricians (35.3%) responded to the survey. PG comprised 39% of the respondents and 72.7% worked at a tertiary hospital. Both PG and GP considered diarrhea or vomiting to be the primary symptom. The most common indication for hospitalization was severe dehydration (98.8%). Most pediatricians managed dehydration with intravenous fluid infusions (PG 98.2%, GP 92.9%). Antiemetics were prescribed by 87.3% of PG and 96.6% of GP. Probiotics to manage diarrhea were prescribed by 89.1% of PG and 100.0% of GP. Antibiotics were used in children with blood in diarrheal stool or high fever. Dietary changes were more commonly recommended by GP (59.3%) than by PG (27.3%) (p<0.05). Tests to identify etiological agents were performed primarily in hospitalized children. Conclusion: This survey assessing the management of pediatric AGE showed that the indications for admission and rehydration were similar between GP and PG. Drug prescriptions for diarrhea and dietary changes were slightly commonly recommended by GP than by PG.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.601-609
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• 2019

Bifidobacterium longum KACC 91563 secretes family 5 extracellular solute-binding protein via extracellular vesicle. In our previous work, it was demonstrated that the protein effectively alleviated food allergy symptoms via mast cell specific apoptosis, and it has revealed a therapeutic potential of this protein in allergy treatment. In the present study, we cloned the gene encoding extracellular solute-binding protein of the strain into the histidine-tagged pET-28a(+) vector and transformed the resulting plasmid into the Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3). The histidine-tagged extracellular solute-binding protein expressed in the transformed cells was purified using Ni-NTA affinity column. To enhance the efficiency of the protein purification, three parameters were optimized; the host bacterial strain, the culturing and induction temperature, and the purification protocol. After the process, two liters of transformed culture produced 7.15 mg of the recombinant proteins. This is the first study describing the production of extracellular solute-binding protein of probiotic bacteria. Establishment of large-scale production strategy for the protein will further contribute to the development of functional foods and potential alternative treatments for allergies.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.459-473
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• 2019

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) has low resistance to low pH and bile salt in the gastrointestinal juice. In this study, the gel made from whey protein concentrate (WPC) and pullulan (PUL) was used as the wall material to prepare the microencapsulation for LGG protection. The gelation process was optimized and the properties of gel were also determined. The results showed the optimal gel was made from 10% WPC and 8.0% PUL at pH 7.5, which could get the best protective effect; the viable counts of LGG were 6.61 Log CFU/g after exposure to simulated gastric juice (SGJ) and 9.40 Log CFU/g to simulated intestinal juice (SIJ) for 4 h. Sodium dodecyl sulphite polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) confirmed that the WPC-PUL gel had low solubility in SGJ, but dissolved well in SIJ, which suggested that the gel can protect LGG under SGJ condition and release probiotics in the SIJ. Moreover, when the gel has highest hardness and water-holding capacity, the viable counts of LGG were not the best, suggesting the relationship between the protection and the properties of the gel was non-linear.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.436-441
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• 2018

Ginseng are native traditional herbs, which exhibit excellent pharmacological activities. Probiotic Lactobacillus helveticus KII13 and Pediococcus pentosaceus strain KID7 were used for ginsenoside transformation by fermenting crude ginseng extract to enhance minor gisenoside content. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis of fermented ginseng extract showed that the minor ginsenosides Rg3, Rh1, and Rh2 were main products after 5 days of fermentation. HPLC analysis was performed to quantify the major and minor ginsenosides. The Rg3 peak appeared on the 3rd day while the appearance of Rh2 peak and Rh1 peak were observed on the 5th day. The co-culture of L. helveticus KII13 and P. pentosaceus KID7 converted major ginsenosides (Rb1 and Rg1) into minor ginsenosides (Rg3, Rh2, and Rh1).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2019

Lactobacillus rhamnosus BFE5264, isolated from a Maasai fermented milk product ("kule naoto"), was previously shown to exhibit bile acid resistance, cholesterol assimilation, and adhesion to HT29-MTX cells in vitro. In this study, we re-annotated and analyzed the previously reported complete genome sequence of strain BFE5264. The genome consists of a circular chromosome of 3,086,152 bp and a putative plasmid, which is the largest one identified among L. rhamnosus strains. Among the 2,883 predicted protein-coding genes, those with carbohydrate-related functions were the most abundant. Genome analysis of strain BFE5264 revealed two consecutive CRISPR regions and no known virulence factors or antimicrobial resistance genes. In addition, previously known highly variable regions in the genomes of L. rhamnosus strains were also evident in strain BFE5264. Pairwise comparison with the most studied probiotic strain L. rhamnosus GG revealed strain BFE5264-specific deletions, probably due to insertion sequence-mediated recombination. The latter was associated with loss of the spaCBA pilin gene cluster and exopolysaccharide biosynthetic genes. Comparative genomic analysis of the sequences from all available L. rhamnosus strains revealed that they were clustered into two groups, being within the same species boundary based on the average nucleotide identities. Strain BFE5264 had a sister group relationship with the group that contained strain GG, but neither ANI-based hierarchical clustering nor core-gene-based phylogenetic tree construction showed a clear distinctive pattern associated with the isolation source, implying that the genotype alone cannot account for their ecological niches. These results provide insights into the probiotic mechanisms of strain BFE5264 at the genomic level.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.721-730
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• 2019

The probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus KBL409 was encapsulated with alginate (Al) and alginate-chitosan (Al/Chi) through extrusion method. The sizes and zeta potentials of microspheres were measured to confirm encapsulation. To evaluate the protective effect of microspheres against gastrointestinal fluids, all the samples were exposed to simulated gastric fluids (SGFs, pH 1.5) at $37^{\circ}C$ for 1 or 2 h, followed by incubation with simulated intestinal fluids (SIFs, pH 6.5) for 2 h. The mucoadhesive ability of microspheres was evaluated using the intestinal epithelial cell line HT29-MTX. To extend the shelf-life of probiotics, lyoprotectants such as disaccharide and polysaccharide were mixed with free or encapsulated cells during the freeze-drying process. The size of the microspheres demonstrated a narrow distribution, while the zeta potentials of Al and Al/Chi-microspheres were $-17.9{\pm}2.3$ and $20.4{\pm}2.6mV$, respectively. Among all the samples, Al/Chi-encapsulated cells showed the highest survival rate even after exposure to SGF and SIF. The mucoadhesive abilities of Al and Al/Chi-microspheres were higher than 94%, whereas the free L. acidophilus showed 88.1% mucoadhesion. Ten percent of sucrose showed over 80% survival rate in free or encapsulated cells. Therefore, L. acidophilus encapsulated with Al and Al/Chi-microspheres showed higher survival rates after exposure to the gastrointestinal tract and better mucoadhesive abilities than the free cells. Also, sucrose showed the highest protective effect of L. acidophilus during the freeze-drying process.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.432-439
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• 2021

Microbial community plays important roles in the culture environment of mud crab Scylla serrata. One of the environmental management efforts for the cultivation of S.serrata is by stabilizing microorganisms involved in nitrogen cycle process. The availability of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in its culture environment under a recirculating system closely relates to the nitrogen cycle, which involves both anaerobic and aerobic bacterial activities. Anaerobically, there are two major nitrogen compound degradation processes, i.e., denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). This study aimed to identify denitrifying and DNRA bacteria isolated from the recirculating cultivation of S. serrata. The water samples were collected from anaerobic filters called close filter system, which is anaerobically conditioned with the addition of varying physical filter materials in the recirculating mud crab cultures. The results showed that three denitrifying bacterial isolates and seven DNRA bacterial isolates were successfully identified. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene of the denitrifying bacteria revealed that HIB_7a had the closest similarity to Stenotrophomonas daejeonensis strain MJ03. Meanwhile, DNRA bacterial isolate of HIB_92 showed a 100% similarity to Bacillus sonorensis strain N3, Bacillus vallismortis strain VITS-17, Bacillus tequlensis strain TY5, Geobacillus sp. strain DB24, Bacillus subtilis strain A1, and Bacillus mojavensis strain SSRAI21. This study provides basic information denitrifying and DNRA bacterial isolates identity which might have the potential to be applied as probiotics in aquaculture systems in order to maintain optimal environmental conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1144-1153
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• 2021

A released exopolysaccharide (rEPS)-producing strain (LM187) with good acid resistance, bile salt resistance, and cholesterol-lowering properties was isolated from Sichuan paocai and identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides. The purified rEPS, designated as rEPS414, had a uniform molecular weight of 7.757 × 10⁵ Da. Analysis of the monosaccharide composition revealed that the molecule was mainly composed of glucose. The Fourier transform-infrared spectrum showed that rEPS414 contained both α-type and β-type glycosidic bonds. ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra analysis showed that the purified rEPS contained arabinose, galactose, and rhamnose, but less uronic acid. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the exopolysaccharide displayed a large number of scattered, fluffy, porous cellular network flake structures. In addition, rEPS414 exhibited strong in vitro antioxidant activity. These results showed that strain LM187 and its rEPS are promising probiotics with broad prospects in industry.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.949-955
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• 2021

Previously, our research group isolated Bifidobacterium breve IDCC4401 from infant feces as a potential probiotic. For this study, we evaluated the safety of B. breve IDCC4401 using genomic and phenotypic analyses. Whole genome sequencing was performed to identify genomic characteristics and investigate the potential presence of genes encoding virulence, antibiotic resistance, and mobile genetic elements. Phenotypic analyses including antibiotic susceptibility, enzyme activity, production of biogenic amines (BAs), and proportion of D-/L-lactate were evaluated using E-test, API ZYM test, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and D-/L-lactic acid assay respectively. The genome of B. breve IDCC4401 consists of 2,426,499 bp with a GC content of 58.70% and 2,016 coding regions. Confirmation of the genome as B. breve was provided by its 98.93% similarity with B. breve DSM20213. Furthermore, B. breve IDCC4401 genes encoding virulence and antibiotic resistance were not identified. Although B. breve IDCC4401 showed antibiotic resistance against vancomycin, we confirmed that this was an intrinsic feature since the antibiotic resistance gene was not present. B. breve IDCC4401 showed leucine arylamidase, cystine arylamidase, α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase, and α-glucosidase activities, whereas it did not show production of harmful enzymes such as β-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase. In addition, B. breve IDCC4401 did not produce any tyramine, histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, or 2-phenethylamine, which are frequently detected BAs during fermentation. B. breve IDCC4401 produced 95.08% of L-lactate and 4.92% of D-lactate. Therefore, our findings demonstrate the safety of B. breve IDCC 4401 as a potential probiotic for use in the food industry.