• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.246-251
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• 2006

A lot of mutants which cannot initiate sexual development were screened and several loci including nsdA, nsdB, nsdC, and nsdD were identified in homothallic ascomycetes Aspergillus nidulans. The NSD206, which has nsdC6 allele, showed typical phenotype of NSD (Never in sexual development) mutants. The nsdC gene was cloned by transforming NSDP697 ($nsdC^-$, $pryG^-$) with AMA1-NotI genomic library. The transforming library DNA recovered from several transformants showing wild phenotype carried about 10 kb genomic DNA insert. The DNA sequence of nsdC was analysed using GPS (Genome priming system). The nsdC gene has an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,929 bp encoding a putative polypeptide of 643 amino acids. The NsdC carries $C_2H_2C_2H_2C_2HC$ type zinc finger DNA binding domains in the middle of the polypeptide. A coiled-coil domain at its C terminus were also found. In nsdC6 allele, a single T insertion was occurred between 407-408 bp leading to the frameshift mutation and early termination of translation producing the truncated protein which has only 139 amino acids.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.254-259
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• 2016

Acinetobacter sp. B-W producing siderophore, 2, 3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) was analyzed for plasmid content. Strain B-W harbored plasmid of 20 kb in size. Growth at $43^{\circ}C$ was effective in producing mutant cured of plasmid of strain B-W. This mutant lost the ability to produce 2, 3-DHB. Formation of siderophore halos on the chrome azurol S (CAS) agar medium was not detected by cured strain B-W. pHs of supernatants of wild type strain B-W and cured mutant grown in glucose and $MnSO_4$ containing medium at $28^{\circ}C$ for 3 days were 4.5 and 8.5, respectively. Antibiotic resistance against ampicillin, actinomycin D, bacitracin, lincomycin, and vancomycin was lost in cured mutant. Plasmid curing of strain B-W resulted in drastic reduction of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of several antibiotics. E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ was transformed with plasmid isolated from strain B-W. The transformant E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ harbored a plasmid of the same molecular size as that of the donor plasmid. Transformant E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ produced 2, 3-DHB and contained antibiotic resistant ability. Thus a single plasmid of 20 kb seemed to be involved in 2, 3-DHB production. Genes encoding resistance to antibiotics were also supposed to be located on this plasmid.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.118-122
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• 1995

Escherichia Coli ornithine transcarbamylase is the enzyme which catalyzes the L-citrulline biosynthesis from L-ornithine and carbamyl phosphate. To facilitate the purification of enzyme which will be used for many biochemical studies such as structure and function relationships and catalytic mechanisms, the cloning and expression of E. coli argI gene for ornithine transcarbamylase was conducted. argI was amplified from genomic DNA of E. coli strain of $DH5{\alpha}$, by polymerization chain reaction (PCR) method. The amplified argI gene was ligated to the prokaryotic expression vector pKK223-3 and used for transformation of E. coli TB2 which was deficient of ornithine transcarbamylase. The over-produced enzyme by the tnansformant was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, heat denaturation and affinity chromatography. The result of SDS denaturation gel electrophoresis for the purified enzyme showed a single band of about 38 kDa of ornithine transcarbamylase. Kinetic data for the expressed enzyme gave almost the s?????? values as those of the wild type enzyme. The $k_{cat}$, of the enzyme was $1.0{\times}10^5min^{-1}$, and $K_ms$ for ornithine and carbamyl phosphate were 0.35 mM and 0.06 mM, respectively.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2011

Changes in food preferences and dietary habits of Korean prone to decrease consumption of the traditional energy source, rice. The exceeding condition of rice production in Korea is now not only impacting on the profit structure of farmers but also threatening food security. Although there have been several efforts to increase rice consumption rate, by developing various processed foods using rice flour, grain hardness of rice has been the most significant limiting factor. In this study, we addressed the suitability of the Namil(SA)-flo1, a mutant rice line has floury endosperm, in terms of producing rice flour by using dry-milling method, which is lower cost and more eco-friendly than other available methods such as wet-milling. Rice flour of the Namil(SA)-flo1 exhibited superior physico-chemical characteristics to any other check varieties including the wild type, Namil, in terms of distribution of granule sizes and content of damaged starch.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2009

Oxidative stress is the main limiting factor in crop productivity. To solve global environmental problems using the plant biotechnology, we have developed on the oxidative stress-tolerant transgenic tall fescue plants via Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation method. In order to develop transgenic tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plants with enhanced tolerance to multiple environmental stresses, nucleotide diphosphate kinase gene under the control of CaMV35S promoter were introduced into genome of tall fescue plants. Proteomic analysis revealed that transgenic tall fescue not only accumulated NDP kinase 2 protein in their cells, but also induced several other antioxindative enzyme-related proteins. When leaf discs of transgenic plants were subjected to cold stress, they showed approximately 30% less damage than wild-type plants. In addition, transgenic tall fescue plants showed normal growth when transgenic plants were subjected to $4^{\circ}C$ for 3 days treatments. These results suggest that transgene is important in ROS scavenging by induction of antioxidative proteins, and could improve abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic tall fescue plants.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.549-553
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• 2010

Yeast strains with good sensory properties were selected, and those yeasts were subjected to mutation to develop high glutathione producing yeasts. In addition, the antiradical activity and flavoring effect of the yeast extract were evaluated. A total of 68 strains were screened, and three strains of Saccharomyces utilis, four strains of Candida utilis, and one strain of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii were selected based on the flavoring effect. Among them, a random mutation was elicited against SEM-Y8, resulting in a high flavoring effect and growth rate. The glutathione production by SEM-Y8 increased 2.0-fold following the mutation, and the DPPH radical quenching effect of the SY8-M2-1-derived extract increased 3.2-fold compared to that of the wild type. The sensory properties of the SY8-M2-1-derived extract were better than those of garlic or onion extract in umami and mouthfulness. Thus, the SY8-M2-1 extract could be used as a functional flavoring material with improved antiradical activity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 1999

Chlorinated aromatic compounds are one of the largest groups of environmental pollutants as a result of world-wide distribution by using them as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, solvents, hydraulic and heat transfer fluids, plasticizers, and intermediates for chemical synthesis. Because of their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation, the compounds contaminated ubiquitously in the biosphere has attracted public concerns in terms of serious influences to wild lives and a human being, such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and disturbance in endocrine systems. The biological recalcitrance of the compounds is caused by the number, type, and position of the chlorine substituents as well as by their aromatic structures. In general, the carbon-halogen bonds increase the recalcitrance by increasing electronegativity of the substituent, so that the dechlorination of the compounds is focused as an important mechanism for biodegradation of chlorinated aromatics, along with the cleavage of aromatic rings. The removal of the chlorine substituents has been known as a key step for degradation of chlorinated aromatic compounds under aerobic condition. This can occur as an initial step via oxygenolytic, reductive, and hydrolytic mechanisms. The studies on the biochemistry and genetics about microbial dechlorination give us the potential informations for microbial degradation of xenobiotics contaminated in natural microcosms. Such investigations might provide biotechnological approaches to solve the environmental contamination, such as designing effective bioremediation systems using genetically engineered microorganisms.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.281-290
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• 1999

The bacterial isopentenyl transferase (ipt) gene involved in cytokinin biosynthesis was fused with 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) and introduced into tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samsun) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. As expected, ipt gene was constitutively expressed in all tissues of transgenic plants. Several primary transgenic plants were obtained that expressed different level of transcripts for ipt gene. Three of transgenic plants with different expression level of ipt gene were selected and selfed to obtain homozygous line for further analysis. A number of interesting phenotypic changes such as viviparous leaves, delayed senescence, larger axillary shoots, an abundance of tiny shoots at the apex and a release of lateral buds, were observed in transgenic plants. Chlorophyll content was 1.5- t.o 4-fold higher in transgenic plants as compared with non-transformed plants. These results indicate that the cytokinin synthesized in transgenic plants could improve forage crop yield by delay of leaf senescence and increase of leaf number.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.609-615
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• 2005

The safety and immunogenicity of an attenuated recombinant Salmonella vaccine strain, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium llaB, was assessed. This vaccine strain could survive in low pH condition, and its ability of intracellular survival did not differ from that of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium UK1, which is the wild-type of the vaccine strain. The mortality of the mice orally administered with the vaccine strain was $50\%$ at the dose of $10^7$ CFU. All mice administered with $10^5\;or\;10^3$ CFU of the vaccine strain survived for 3 days postinoculation (pi). However, all mice administered with more than $10^3$ CFU of the vaccine strain died within 3 days pi. To examine the protective effect of the vaccine strain, mice were orally immunized with $10^4\;and\;10^6$ CFU of the bacteria. Control mice were given with 0.5 ml of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). After 8 days, the mice were challenged with $10^9$ CFU of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium UK1, and mortality was examined for 5 days. The survival rates of the mice immunized with $10^4\;and\;10^6$ CFU of the vaccine strain were $60\%\;and\;80\%$, respectively, whereas all control mice died within 2 days after challenging. To investigate the immunogenicity of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium llaB, mice were orally immunized with $10^5\;or\;10^6$ CFU ml of the vaccine strain. Five mice of each group were sacrificed at 5 and 12 days after immunization, and results showed that immunization of the vaccine strain led to increases of IgG1, IgG2, and IgM titers against S. enterica serovar Typhimurium UK1 in mouse sera, cytokine expressions such as IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 in spleen, and the lymphocyte proliferation response to mitogens (concanavalin A or LPS) stimulation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.616-625
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• 2005

It is likely that maltose could provide a good substrate for the bacteria in the intestine, when the pathogenic bacteria invade and colonize in human gut. For better understanding of this organism's maltose metabolism, a mutant that was not able to grow with maltose as a sole carbon source was screened from a library of mutants constructed by a random transposon mutagenesis. By a transposon-tagging method, malPQ genes encoding a maltodextrin phosphorylase and a 4-${\alpha}$-glucanotransferase, were identified and cloned from Vibrio vulnificus. The deduced amino acid sequences of malPQ from V. vulnificus were 48 to $91\%$ similar to those of MalP and MalQ reported from other Enterobacteriaceae. Functions of malPQ genes were assessed by the construction of mutants whose malPQ genes were inactivated by allelic exchanges. When maltose was used as the sole carbon source, neither malP nor malQ mutant was able to grow to a substantial level, revealing that the MalP and MalQ are the only enzymes for metabolic utilization of maltose. The malQ mutant exhibited decreased adherence toward intestinal epithelial cells in vitro, but there was no difference in the $LD_{50}s$ of the wild-type and the malQ mutant in mice. Therefore, it appears that MalQ is less important in the pathogenesis of V. vulnificus than would have been predicted by considering maltose as a most common sugar in the intestine, but not completely dispensable for virulence in mice.