• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.280-287
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• 2015

Probiotics are microbial food supplements or components of bacteria which have traditionally been added to dairy foods for extra health boost. Our aim was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of Bifidobacterium adolescentis SPM0212 as probiotics, which we previously found has potential anti-hepatitis B virus activity. The study was conducted using Wistar albino rats and probiotics were treated orally for 9 days consecutively and acute liver injury was induced by administration of carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) on the 7th and 8th days. Liver damage was assessed by quantifying serum activities of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), as well as by histopathological examination. B. adolescentis SPM0212 significantly prevented the elevation of SGOT and SGPT levels, and reduced the negative effect of $CCl_4$ on body and organ weights. Histopathological study revealed the livers of the carbon tetrachloride treated rats showed almost complete loss of normal hepatocyte architecture, but that rats treated with B. adolescentis SPM0212 showed minimal damage and normal hepatocyte architecture. Our results suggest that B. adolescentis SPM0212 be considered useful probiotics for protecting the liver from xenobiotics and hepatitis B virus, and as well as useful as a functional food for maintaining human health.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.255-263
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• 2008

Bacteria that antagonize plant pathogenic fungi were isolated from the sediment soil at the Ansan industrial estate. One isolate of them showed growth inhibition of Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cenerea, and Fusarium oxysporum. This strain was identified as Pandoraea sp. based on phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics and termed Pandoraea sp. BCNU 315. Tryptone as nitrogen source and sucrose as carbon source were found to be most effective for the microbial growth. In addition, the optimum temperature and pH for microbial growth were $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0, respectively. The substances generated from Pandoraea sp. BCNU 315 were purified and analyzed by column chromatography, HPLC, GC-MS and NMR. As a result, one compound was determined to be indole, another compound was predicted as cyclopentadecaheptene. Detailed structural clarification of the all of the rest six compounds from Pandoraea sp. BCNU 315 has to be accompanied in the further studies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.820-825
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• 2010

The functional food components from various Basidiomycota were investigated to improve human intestinal microflora, especially associated with obesity. EtOH extract from Gyrophora esculenta fruit body and Coriolus versicolor judae mycelia showed antimicrobial activities on Eubacterium limosum, Clostridium perfrigens, Clostridium paraputrificum, Clostridium difficile and Clostridium ramosum, and on Bacteroides fragilis, respectively. Although the 80% EtOH extract from G. esculenta fruit body and hot-water extract from C. versicolor judae mycelia did not reduce weight of the rats in the high fat diet, these extracts showed stability at high temperatures and at wide pH ranges. In the rat group of feeding 80% EtOH extract from G. esculanta fruit body, Bifidobacterium spp. were increased and Clostridium spp. and Eubacterium spp. were decreased compared to the high fat feeding group. Also sensory evaluation was carried out for the development of prototype drink product. These results demonstrated the possibilities of C. versicolor judae and G. esculenta as a functional food components to control intestinal microbial flora.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2004

In this study, we compared the levels of methylotrophic bacterial community diversity in the leaf, stem, grain, root and rhizosphere soil sainples of four rice cultivars collected from three regions of Korea. Thirty five pigmented and five non-pigmented isolates showing characteristic growth on methanul were obtained. When phylotypes were defined by performing numerical analysis of 42 characteristics, four distinct clusters were formed. While two clusters, I and IV diverged on the basis of nitrate and nitrite reduction, other two clusters, comprising only pink pigmented colonies, diverged on the basis of cellulase activity. Out of the two reference strains used in the analysis, Methyhbacterium extorquens AM1 diverged from all the clusters and M. fujisawaense KACC 10744 grouped under cluster III. All the isolates were positive for urease, oxidase, catalase and pectinase activity and negative for indole production, MR and VP test, $H_2S$ production, starch, and casein hydrolysis. No clusters were found to possess thermotolerant isolates, as no growth of the isolates was observed at $45^{\circ}C$. Two strains in cluster I were found to possess gelatin hydrolysis and methane utilizing properties respectively. Most of the isolates in all the four clusters utilized monosaccliarides, disaccharide and polyols as carbon source. Six isolates showed considerable nitrogenase activity ranging from 86.2 to $809.9nmol\;C_2H_4\;h^{-1}\;mg^{-1}$ protein.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 1993

In order to elucidate the degradation of the herbicide bentazon (3-isopropyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazin-4-one-2,2-dioxide) by soil microorganisms, it was incubated at $23{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ under the submerged and upland soil conditions of the different soils in the Chung Buk area. When bentazon (200 ppm) was incubated in Cheong Won A soil (silty loam; pH, 5.2; organic matter 1.4%) under the submerged condition for 6 months, 6-hydroxy bentazon (1.27%) was formed as the major degradation product and 8-hydroxy bentazon (0.57%) and anthranilic acid (0.13%) were formed as the minor ones. Meanwhile, when 500 ppm of bentazon was incubated in the same soil for 2 months, a trace amount of 6-hydroxy bentazon was formed. Eight strains of microorganisms isolated from the soils did not give any distinct degradation products in the pure culture experiment. The greater dehydrogenase activity in Cheong Won A soil than in Cheong Ju A soil might be related to the greater bentazon-degradability of the former soil than that of the latter. When bentazon (10 ppm) was incubated for 14 days with 14 strains of bacteria and 8 strains of fungi, the identities of which were all known, Rhizopus stolonifer produced 4.6${\sim}$31.6% of anthranilic acid as the major product from batch to batch, with trace amounts of 6-hydroxy bentazon and 8-hydroxy bentazon as minor products. The rest microorganisms did not produce any noticeable products.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.1020-1033
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• 2020

This study attempted to investigate the usefulness of Rhus javanica L., Cinnamomum verum and Rosmarinus officinalis extracts which have antimicrobial and antioxidant effects without any harm on human health as natural preservatives. In terms of extraction, extraction by 70% ethanol and hot-water extraction were used for Cinnamomum verum and Rhus javanica L. respectively. For Rosmarinus officinalis, a mixed method (70% ethanol and hot-water extraction) was adopted. In terms of experimental methods, antimicrobial effects, antioxidant activity through DPPH and safety and stability of cosmetics were assessed, and a challenge test was performed, and the results found the followings: According to an antimicrobial test, good antimicrobial effects were found in bacteria (Rhus javanica L. extract) and fungi (Cinnamomum verum extract). In contrast, the Rosmarinus officinalis extract was set aside because of poor antimicrobial activity. In the mixed extract (Rhus javanica L. + Cinnamomum verum), antimicrobial effects were observed in 'complex C (mixed in a 1:1 ratio)' while both inhibitory and sterilizing effects were found in 5 different test strains at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). In addition, antioxidant effects were detected in non-mixed extract and mixed extract ('complex C'). Furthermore, a test on cosmetics which adopted '10% complex C' instead of synthetic preservative revealed safety and stability. Therefore, this study has confirmed the potential of the Rhus javanica L., Cinnamomum verum and Rosmarinus officinalis extracts as materials for natural preservatives.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2008

Dental caries is an infectious disease caused by mutans streptococci, and is a primary etiologic agent of dental caries in humans. The molecular pathogenesis of mutans streptococcal-associated dental caries occurs in three phases. Firstly, S. mutans attaches to tooth surface via a cell surface adhesion termed antigen I/II. In the second phase, the glucosyltransferase(GTFs) synthesize polymers like glucans in the presence of sucrose. In the third phase, the multivalent glucans interacts with glucan binding proteins (GBPs) and they make dental plaque and accumulation of microorganisms. Many studies and clinical trials have indicated that a mucosal immune response to these antigens(Ag I/II, GTFs, GBPs) of S. mutans can influence the pathogenesis of dental caries. So these antigens can be important vaccine candidates for immunologic intervention against dental caries. In this study, we cloned the genes for GTFb, GTFc, GTFd from S. mutans GS-5 and did the nucleotide sequence analysis. And the recombinant proteins of GTFd and N-terminus of GTFd were expressed. Intact GTF which we get from this experiment can be used for antibody production specific for any GTF activity domain through animal experiment.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2014

To study the possible use of probiotics in fish farming, The in vitro and in vivo antibacterial effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa MB I-3 (MB I-3) against the fish pathogenic bacterium Listonella anguillarum were evaluated. The inhibitory effects of MB I-3 against vibrios were investigated by the double layer method and the co-culture. The results showed that MB I-3 inhibited the growth of pathogenic vibrios including Listonella anguillarum, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio fluvialis, Vibrio furnissii, Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus. Extracellular substances obtained from the cultural supernatant of MB I-3 by ethyl acetate extraction showed inhibitory effects on L. anguillarum. The antibacterial substance of MB I-3 was evaluated to destroy the cell membrane of L. anguillarum in electron micrographs. The probiotic effects of MB I-3 was tested by exposing olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fry to L. anguillarum with or without MB I-3. The cumulative mortality of olive flounder fry infected with L. anguillarum was 24% in the group with MB I-3, while it was 46% in the control group without MB I-3. These results indicate that MB I-3 has potential applications as a probiotic for the control of fish pathogenic vibrios in fish rearing system.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2014

Cystatins (CSTs) are reversible and competitive inhibitors of C1A cysteine proteases, corresponding to papain-like cathepsins in plants and animals. A viral CST (CpBV-CST1) was identified from a polydnavirus, Cotesia plutellae bracovirus (CpBV). Our previous study indicated that a transient expression of CpBV-CST1 interfered with immune response and development of Plutella xylostella larvae. To directly demonstrate the protein function, this study produced a recombinant CpBV-CST1 protein (rCpBV-CST1) using bacterial expression system to determine its inhibitory activity against cysteine protease and to assess its physiological alteration in insect immune and development. The open reading frame of CpBV-CST1 encodes a polypeptide of 138 amino acids (${\approx}15kDa$). rCpBV-cystatin protein in BL21 STAR (DE3) competent cells containing a recombinant pGEX4T-3:CpBV-CST1 was over-expressed by 0.5 mM IPTG for 4 h. In biological activity assay, the purified rCpBV-CST1 showed a significant inhibition against papain activity. It inhibited a cellular immune response of hemocyte nodule formation in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. Moreover, its oral administration retarded larval development of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that CpBV-CST1 may be applied to control insect pest populations.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2009

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are chemolithoautotrophs that play a key role in nitrogen removal from advanced wastewater treatment processes. Various AOB species inhabit and their community compositions vary over time in the wastewater treatment bioreactors. In this study, a hypothesis that operational and environmental conditions affect both the community compositions and the diversity of AOB in the bioreactors was proposed. To verify the hypothesis, the clone libraries based on ammonia monooxygenase subunit A were constructed using activated sludge samples from aerobic bioreactors at the Pohang, the Palo Alto, the Nine Springs, and the Marshall wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In those bioreactors, AOB within the Nitrosomonas europaea, N. oligotropha, N.-like, and Nitrosospira lineages were commonly found, while AOB within the N. communis, N. marina, and N. cryotolerans lineages were rarely detected in the samples. The AOB community structures were different in the bioreactors: AOB within the N. oligotropha lineage were the major microorganisms in the Pohang, the Palo Alto, and the Marshall WWTPs, while AOB within the N. europaea lineage were dominant in the Nine Springs WWTP. The correlations between the AOB community compositions of the wastewater treatment bioreactors and their operational (HRT, SRT, and MLSS) and environmental conditions (temperature, pH, COD, $NH_3$, and $NO_3{^-}$) were evaluated using a multivariate statistical analysis called the Redundancy Analysis (RDA). As a result, COD and $NO_3{^-}$ concentrations in the bioreactors were the statistically significant variables influencing the AOB community structures in the wastewater treatment bioreactors.