Coastal dunes must be conserved. Their native halophytes support coastal geography while their symbiotic microorganisms help vegetation thrive. The Goraebul coast has the largest, well-conserved dune system on the East Sea of the Korean Peninsula due to a climax mixed halophyte (C. soldanella, C. kobomugi, and E. mollis) vegetation support. This study identified rhizobacteria and their diversity in mixed halophyte communities unique to Goraebul. Five phyla, 12 genera, and 21 species were identified based on 16S rDNA sequences from 65 isolates. The phylum Bacillota, class Bacillota, order Bacillales, and family Bacillaceae were identified, with Bacillus as the dominant genus (46.15%). The richness and Shannon's diversity were higher at the species than at the genus level due to the dominance of Bacillus; however, various Bacillus species (7) were identified. Therefore, the climax mixed vegetation adapted to the Goraebul coast may exert natural selection pressure in favor of the common characteristics of Bacillus. However, despite this advantage, the Shannon equitability (0.86), Simpson (0.08), and Shannon diversity (2.79) indexes indicate a stable rhizosphere cluster and the climax mixed vegetation is affected by symbiotic relationships between healthy rhizosphere microbiota.

To verify the color change in dried laver postproduction during the heating process, chromaticity elements were compared via a spectrophotometer across various heating conditions within the visible light spectrum. In general, the moisture reduction rate increased with rising temperature and time. Surface image comparisons revealed an expanded area of light reflection on the heat-treated dried laver sample due to surface roughening from shrinkage. No statistically significant differences in chromaticity values were observed in the measurements of brightness (L^*), redness (a^*), and yellowness (b^*). Reflectance spectrum measurements in the visible light region confirmed high reflectance under red wavelength conditions. In particular, a significant increase in reflectance at 700 nm compared with untreated samples was noted. The correlation between the increase in 700 nm reflectance of dried laver samples and heating conditions ranged from 0.7471 to 0.7793, suggesting its potential use as an indicator for comparing color changes in dried laver based on heating conditions.

Chlorella has various biotechnological applications, including in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries, because of its advantages, including rich nutrients, fast growth rate, easy cultivation, and high biomass. We used the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method to express human GM-CSF and EGF proteins, which are widely used in regenerative medicine, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical materials in Chlorella. The codon-optimized hGM-CSF and hEGF genes were cloned into plant binary vectors and transformed into Chlorella vulgaris using the Agrobacterium-mediated coculture transformation method. After transformation, genomic DNA PCR was performed for each C. vulgaris line that was stably subcultured on an antibiotic-resistant solid medium to confirm the insertion of hGM-CSF and hEGF into the chromosome. Furthermore, PT-PCR and protein expression of hGM-CSF and hEGF in each transformed C. vulgaris were significantly increased compared to the untransformed Chlorella. This study suggests that high-value proteins, including hGM-CSF and hEGF, which are foreign genes of C. vulgaris, can be stably expressed through the Agrobacterium-mediated Chlorella transformation system.

This study attempted to improve the growth of the freshwater microalgae, Parachlorella kessleri, through the sequential optimization of culture conditions. This attempt aimed to enhance the microalgae's ability to fixate atmospheric CO₂. Culture temperature and light intensity appropriate for microalgal growth were scanned using a high-throughput photobioreactor system. The supplied air flow rate varied from 0.05 to 0.3 vvm, and its effect on the growth rate of P. kessleri was determined. Next, sodium phosphate buffer was added to the culture medium (BG11) to enhance CO₂ fixation by increasing the availability of CO₂(HCO₃^-) in the culture medium. The results indicated that optimal culture temperature and light intensity were 20℃-25℃ and 300 μE/m²/s, respectively. Growth rates of P. kessleri under various air flow rates highly depended on the increase of the culture's flow rate and pH which determines CO₂ availability. Adding sodium phosphate buffer to BG11 to maintain a constant neutral pH (7.0) improved microalgal growth compared to control conditions (BG11 without sodium phosphate). These results indicate that the CO₂ fixation rate in the air could be enhanced via the sequential optimization of microalgal culture conditions.

Microalgae have great potential in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries as a new type of bioreactor that can produce proteins for specific purposes, including recombinant proteins, pharmaceuticals, and industrial enzymes. Despite the production advantages and importance of microalgae-based expression systems, studies on secretion efficiency are limited. In this study, for stable expression and efficient secretion of the heterologous protein (human SCF and human INFγ) in Chlorella vulgaris, we constructed SP:hSCF:His and SP:hINFγ:His plant binary vectors using the signal peptide (SP) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and we obtained stable transformants through the effective agrobacterium-mediated transformation of these vectors. Transformants with accurately inserted hSCF and hINFγ demonstrated stably increased mRNA and protein expression using RT-PCR and western blotting under the same culture conditions. Following the analysis of the proteins secreted into the culture medium using ELISA, it was confirmed that hINFγ was effectively produced in the transformed C. vulgaris culture medium. The overall findings indicate that the combination of heterologous protein and SP may be crucial for ensuring the expression and secretion of recombinant proteins in Chlorella culture systems.

Various antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from microalgae have shown antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, and antioxidant effects, and play crucial roles in medical applications, aquaculture-related disease management, and the food industry. Magainin 2 (MAG2), an AMP, exhibits high antibacterial and antitumor activity, necessitating an efficient recombinant expression system for low-cost, large-scale production. To enhance MAG2 secretion efficiency in Chlorella, we constructed the SS:MAG2:His vector using the known Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CA1 signal sequence (SS) and obtained a stable transformant via an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method and RT-qPCR. ELISA results revealed that the MAG2 content secreted into the medium by the SS:MAG2:His transformants increased proportionally with mRNA expression. These findings offer a strategy for high MAG2 secretion in the Chlorella vulgaris platform, potentially minimizing downstream processing costs.

This study analyzed the distribution, diversity, and density variation of algal clusters in a freshwater reservoir from an oceanic island and a traditional inland water system to gain insights on future marine freshwater resource management. In the Paldang water system (Han River), despite the upstream Paldang Dam and the downstream Jamsil underwater reservoir being in the same meteorological zone, their algae density patterns varied inversely. The distinct algal cluster structure (diversity/dominance) of Paldang was altered in the downstream reservoir, suggesting that physical devices aid algae management in traditional water systems. In contrast, 24 out of 35 genera (63.2%) identified in the Jeolgol Reservoir (Baeknyeong Island) were unique, lacking regulatory mechanisms, and existing in a complex ecotone. The desmid Chlorophyceae Cosmarium, adapted to higher photosynthetic stress and low temperatures, dominated in January (38.04%) and August (86.45%) during the periods of extreme photosynthetic stress. Jeolgol's annual algal cluster structure (H' 2.097; D 0.259; S' 35) demonstrated higher stability than Paldang (H' 1.125; D 0.448; S' 13) and the Jamsil underwater reservoir (H' 1.078; D 0.469; S' 12), maintaining an H' above 1.5 even during midwinters. No evidence of TN/TP inflow from surrounding soils was observed, even during torrential rainfalls, with phosphorus being the limiting factor for algal growth. TOC, BOD, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity peaked during Cosmarium bloom. Future climate change is expected to cause fluctuations in algal clusters and related water quality factors. The complex transitional nature of the Jeolgol Reservoir, its algal diversity, and the interspecies interactions contribute to the high stability of its algal community.