• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.7 s.80
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• pp.1158-1163
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• 2006

Bisphenol A (BPA), 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, has been widely used as a monomer for production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics, and final products of BPA include adhesives, protective coatings, paints, optical lens, building materials, compact disks and other electrical parts. Since BPA is a toxic chemical to elicit acute cell cytotoxicity and chronic endocrine disrupting activity, the degradation of BPA has been focused during last decades. To overcome the problem of photo-, and chemical-degradation of BPA, in this study, a bacterium that is able to biodegrade BPA, was isolated. The bacterium, isolated froln the soil of plastic factory, was identified as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (strain BP-2) based on physiological and 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. A. calcoaceticus BP-2 was able to grow in the presence of $1140{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$ BPA. Biodegradation experiments showed that BP-2 mineralized BPA via 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 4-hydroxyacetophenone, and average degradation rate was $53.3{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}\;day^{-1}$ under optimal conditions (pH 7 and $30^{\circ}C$). In high density resting cell $(3.5g-dcw.1^{-1})$ experiments, the maximal degradation rate was increased to $89.7{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}\;h^{-1}$. Our results suggest that BP-2 has high potential as a catalyst for practical BPA bioremediation.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2016

Large patch disease in Zoysia japonica Steud. is the most destructive disease in turfgrass. For large patch management, it has been dependent on chemical controls but pesticides are harmful to soil, water and biodiversity. In this study, we evaluated 4 Streptomyces spp. strains (S2, S5, S8 and S12) which were selected in previous studies using metagenome approaches. Root colonization of the strains, large patch suppressing effect and the pathogen density change in actual golf course were investigated to evaluate biological control potential of the strains. All strains exhibited reliable root colonization ability that strains populations were higher than $6log\;cfu\;g^{-1}$ in turfgrass rhizosphere. The pathogen density, with S8 treatment, was detected average of 0.7 after a week and average of 1.2 after 4 weeks. Disease control and suppressive the pathogen population by S8 strain showed higher efficiency than other strains. S8 was applied in an actual golf course for the large patch control and pathogen density. The pathogen density in S8 treatment plot was detected below 1.6 per toothpick and lower compared with untreated plot. The results indicated that pathogen density was suppressed by S8 and the stain has great potential as a biological control agent for the large patch.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2016

This study examined effects of Enterobacter ludwigii SJR3 showing a high 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity, on growth of tomato plant and its expression of stress-related genes under drought and salt stress. SJR3 strain was inoculated at $10^6cell/g$ soil to 4-week grown tomato plants, and drought and salt stresses were treated. After additional incubation for 1 week, root length, stem length, fresh weight and dry weight of tomato plants treated with SJR3 increased by 37.8, 37.2, 96.8 and 146.6%, respectively compared to those of uninoculated plants in drought stress environment, and they increased by 19.2, 25.4, 19.5, and 105.8%, respectively in salt stress environment. Proline content in tomato leaves increased significantly under stress conditions as one of a protecting substance against stresses, but proline contents in tomato treated with SJR3 decreased by 62.1 and 54.1%, respectively. Relative expression of genes encoding ACC oxidase, ACO1 and ACO4, ethylene response factor genes ERF1 and ERF4, and some other stress-related genes were examined from tomato leaves. Compared to the non-stressed tomato, expressions of all stress-related genes increased significantly in the stressed tomato, but gene expressions in the inoculated tomato were similar to those of no-stressed control tomato. Therefore, E. ludwigii SJR3 may play an important role in mitigating drought and salt stress in plants, and can increase productivity of crops under various abiotic stresses.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.389-394
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• 2003

In order to screen microorganisms producing phopholipase D (PLD) had high transphosphatidylation activity, about 1,000 Actinomycetes strains were isolated from the 63 soil samples, collected over 6 local area in Korea. When the hydrolytic activity in the supernatant was determined, 131 strains produced PLD more than 0.3 U/ml. Among 131 culture broths tested, 23 ones had transphosphatidylation activity higher than 20% and finally one strain (Actinomycetes KF 923), which had highest hydrolytic and transphophadylation activity, was selected. Actinomycetes KF923 showed the highest hydrolytic activity (13 U/ml) and phosphatidylation activity (95%) after 48 h fermentation using the P medium (yeast extract 1%, peptone 1%, glucose 1.5%, glycerol 1%, $CaCo_3$ 0.4%, pH 7.2). PLD was purified from the culture broth of Actinomycetes KF923 and the specific activity of purified PLD was 567 U/mg. The molecular weight of PLD was about 55 kD and the optimum pH and temperature were 6.0 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. The stability of PLD toward pH and temperature were high around pH 8.0 and below $40^{\circ}C$. Special metal ions were not necessary to the PLD activity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1415-1419
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• 1998

In order to evaluate the safety of greenhouse horticultures, a large number sample sources were collected, and the fungi of Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. were isolated from them. Indirect competitive ELISA method and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were applied to confirm the ochratoxin A producing abilities of isolated strains. One hundred ninety two sample sources including soil, pepper, strawberry and water mellon were collected for fungi isolation from western Gyeongnam, Andong and Gyeongbok. One hundred forty two strains of Aspergillus sp. and one hundred fifty three strains of Penicillium sp. were isolated respectively from them. The isolated fungi were tested for the production of ochratoxin A by ELISA. After culture of them on the modified sucrose low salt medium at $28^{\circ}C$ for 15 days, we found that five strains of Penicillium sp. produced ochratoxin A at the levels of $0.084{\sim}2.128\;{\mu}g/mL$. Among them, #129-2 strain isolated from water melon, showed the highest level of ochratoxin A as $2.128\;{\mu}g/mL$ broth. However, all of isolated Aspergillus sp. didn't produce ochratoxin A. When we compared the results of ELISA method with HPLC method, ochratoxin A production of each isolated strains showed very similar levels.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.507-511
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• 1995

In an attempt to improve the productivity of ${\beta}-galactosidase$ from Bacillus sp. A1, which was isolated from soil and has remarkably higher transgalactosylation activity than lactose hydrolysis activity, a chemical mutation procedure using N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine followed by selection was conducted. The final selection, designated as Bacillus sp. A4442, turned out to show a substantially increased enzyme productivity. Catabolite repression by glucose and lactose requirement as an inducer for the enzyme biosynthesis, which were shown in the parent strain, was markedly diminished; instead it was found out that galactose acts as another inducer. Because pH of medium, one of the most important factors for cell growth as well as enzyme production, is closely related with the sugar concentration during culture, it was kept in the optimum range of $6.5{\sim}7.5$; for this the initial glucose concentration was adjusted to be 0.5% which was thereafter maintained by the controlled pumping-in of lactose using the pH-stat technique. By doing so, we were able to increase the productivity of ${\beta}-galactosidase$ with high transgalactosylation activity up to $44\;unit/m{\ell}-broth$.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2008

Salt accumulation in soils of greenhouse due to the massive application of nitrogen fertilizers causes salt stress on the various crops, a serious problem in domestic agriculture. Since the majority of the salinity is nitrate, the excess nitrate should be removed; therefore, a bacterial strain having high capacity of nitrate uptake and identified as Enterobacter amnigenus GG0461 was isolated from the soils of greenhouse. Optimum conditions for the bacterial growth and nitrate uptake were investigated. GG0461 was able to grow without nitrate; however, nitrate facilitated the growth. The rate of nitrate uptake increased at alkaline pH and both growth and nitrate uptake were maximal at pH 8-9. When the initial pH of culture medium was increased to pH 8 or 9, it was decreased to neutral upon bacterial growth and nitrate uptake. These results imply that the major factor mediating bacterial nitrate uptake is a nitrate/proton antiporter. The fact was supported by the effect of nitrate addition in the absence of nitrate, since the addition of nitrate greatly increased the nitrate uptake and rapidly decreased pH of media.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.77-86
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• 2002

Chitin, a $\beta$-1,4 polymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, is one of the most abundant organic compounds in nature. Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) is an enzyme that degrades chitin to chito-oligosaccharides, diacetyl rhitobiose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. An extracellular chitinase-producing bacterial strain was isolated from soil and named to as Bacillus subtilis JK-56. Optimum culture condition of B. subtilis JK-56 for the production of chitinase was 1% chitin, 0.5% polypepton, 0.1% KCl, 0.05% MnS $O_4$.4$H_2O$, 37$^{\circ}C$, initial pH 7.0 and 40 hour culture time. When B. subtilis JK-56 was grown in the optimum medium, one major active band and two minor active bands were detected by native-PAGE and active staining of the gel. Among them, the major band was purified from the culture supernatant by 70% ammonium sulfate precipitation and native-PAGE with BIO-RAD Model 491 Prep-Cell and named as Chi-56A. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 53kDa monomer and the isoelectric point (pI) was pH 4.3. The pH and temperature for the optimum activity of Chi-56A were pH 6.0 and $65^{\circ}C$, respectively. Chi-56A was stable up to $65^{\circ}C$ and in alkaline region. Its $K_{m}$ value for colloidal chitin was 17.33g/L. HPLC analysis of the reaction products confirmed that Chi-56A was an exo type chitinase.e.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2008

Shear wave velocity($V_S$), which can be obtained using various seismic tests, has been emphasized as representative geotechnical dynamic characteristic mainly for seismic design and seismic performance evaluation in the engineering field. For the application of conventional geotechnical site investigation techniques to geotechnical earthquake engineering, standard penetration tests(SPT) and piezocone penetration tests(CPTu) together with a variety of borehole seismic tests were performed at many sites in Korea. Through statistical modeling of the in-situ testing data, in this study, the correlations between $V_S$ and geotechnical in-situ penetrating data such as blow counts(N value) from SPT and piezocone penetrating data such as tip resistance ($q_t$), sleevefriction($f_s$), and pore pressure ratio($B_q$) were deduced and were suggested as an empirical method to determine $V_S$. Despite the incompatible strain levels of the conventional geotechnical penetration tests and the borehole seismic tests, it is shown that the suggested correlations in this study are applicable to the preliminary estimation of $V_S$ for Korean soil layers.

• Journal of Chitin and Chitosan
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.285-292
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• 2018

In this study, for the purpose of decomposing food waste, the strain was screened from traditional fermented food and soils. The enzyme activity (protease, amylase, cellulase, lipase) experiment was carried out using the paper disc method in 212 strains isolated from 5% NaCl media. Among them, only the strains having enzyme activity of more than 2 (soil) or more than 4 (traditional fermented food) with the halozone of enzyme activity of 15 mm or more were selected first, and microorganism identification through 16S rRNA sequencing was performed. Finally, were identified such as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus siamensis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus aquimaris, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus koreensis, Bacillus stratoshericus, Bacillus aryabhattai, Bacillus safensis, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus. 11 species of mixed strains were confirmed that the culture time was 24 hours, the incubation temperature was $30^{\circ}C$ and the optimum pH was 7.0. In order to confirm the degree of decomposition of standard food wastes (100 g) by treating 11 kinds of mixed strains (25%), solid content of more than $2000{\mu}m$ was determined to be 103 g for the sterilized water group and 18 g for the mixed strains group. And the rest was decomposed to a size of less than $2000{\mu}m$.