• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.587-593
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• 2010

Three hundred and seventy-four rhizobacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere soil (RS) or rhizoplane (RP) of Echinochloa crus-galli, Carex leiorhyncha, Commelina communis, Persicaria lapathifolia, Carex kobomugi, and Equisetum arvense, grown in contaminated soil with petroleum and heavy metals. The isolates were screened for plant growth-promoting trait (PGPT), including indole acetic acid (IAA) productivity, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, and siderophore(s) synthesis ability. IAA production was detected in 86 isolates (23.0%), ACC deaminase activity in 168 isolates (44.9%), and siderophore(s) synthesis in 213 isolates (57.0%). Among the rhizobacteria showing PGPT, 162 isolates had multiple traits showing more than two types of PGPT. The PGPT-possesing rhizobacteria were more abundant in the RP (82%) samples than the RS (75%). There was a negative correlation (-0.656, p<0.05) between the IAA producers and the ACC deaminase producers. Clustering analysis by principal component analysis showed that RP was the most important factor influencing the ecological distribution and physiological characterization of PGPT-possesing rhizobacteria.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.129-133
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• 2012

To exploit plant growth promoting bacteria in the roots of Miscanthus sacchariflorus, a biomass energy crop, total 64 bacteria were isolated. For the investigation of plant growth promoting effects from the isolated bacteria, production of indole acetic acid (IAA) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activities were tested and other cultural conditions were examined. As results, 8 isolates showed plant growth promoting effects on the M. sacchariflorus and an isolate designated Agrobacterium sp. BE516 has the highest activity by enhancing the shoot elongation over 2-fold than the control. Agrobacterium sp. BE516 produced 64 ${\mu}g$ IAA per mL and showed ACC deaminase activity which is involved in the resistance to environmental stress such as high salt and drought. It could grow at low temperature in the range from 4 to $15^{\circ}C$, at pH 4.0 and at 4% NaCl. These results indicate that the Agrobacterium sp. BE516 can be useful as a bio-fertilizer for M. sacchariflorus under the stressed conditions.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.261-267
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• 2012

Coastal sand dunes are important for ecosystems due to the variety of rare species that can be found in this kind of habitat, and the beautiful landscapes they create. For environmental remediation, a potential strategy is phytoremediation using the symbiotic relationship of plants and microbes in the rhizosphere, which has proven ecologically sound, safe, and cost effective. Ninety-five colonies were isolated from the rhizosphere soil (RS) or rhizoplane (RP) of Rorippa islandica, Rumex crispus, Artemisia princeps var. orientalis, Lilium sp Stellaria media, and Gramineae. These colonies were then tested for plant growth promoting activities (PGPAs) such as 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, and siderphores synthesis ability. In addition, salt tolerance was evaluated at 4% and 8% salt concentrations. It was observed that amongst the test subjects about 50% of the strains had a high resistance to salinity. Many of them could produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) IAA (in RS 13.9% and in RP 7.6%), exhibited ACC deaminase activity (55.8% in RS and 36.6% in RP), and could synthesize siderphores (62.7% in RS and 50% in RP). Correlation coefficient analyses were carried out for the three kinds of plant growth promoting abilities (PGPA) and salt tolerance. A positive correlation was found between an ability to synthesize siderphores and ACC deaminase activity (r=0.605, p<0.037). Similarly, positive correlations were noted between salt tolerance and ACC deaminase activity (r=0.762, p<0.004, r=0.771), and salt tolerance and an ability to synthesize siderphores (r=0.771, p<0.003).

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 2017

Some rhizobacteria were isolated, that have copper resistance and can confer copper resistance to plants allowing growth under copper stress. Isolated strains Pseudomonas veronii MS1 and P. migulae MS2 produced 0.13 and 0.26 mmol/ml of siderophore, that is a metal-chelating agent, and also showed 64.6 and 77.9% of biosorption ability for Cu in 20 mg/L Cu solution, respectively. Copper can catalyze a formation of harmful free radicals, which may cause oxidative stress in organisms. Removal activity of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical and antioxidant capacity of strains MS1 and MS2 increased up to 82.6 and 78.1%, respectively compared to those of control at 24 h of incubation. They exhibited 7.10 and $6.42{\mu}mol$ ${\alpha}$-ketobutyrate mg/h of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activity, respectively, which reduced levels of stress hormone, ethylene in plants, and also produced indole-3-acetic acid and salicyclic acid that can help plant growth under abiotic stress. All these results indicated that these copper-resistant rhizobacteria could confer copper resistance and growth promotion to plants.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2019

Saline soils comprise more than half a billion hectares worldwide. Thus, they warrant attention for their efficient, economical, and environmentally acceptable management. Halophytes are being progressively utilized for human benefits. The halophyte microbiome contributes significantly to plant performance and can provide information regarding complex ecological processes involved in the osmoregulation of halophytes. Microbial communities associated with the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and endosphere of halophytes play an important role in plant health and productivity. Members of the plant microbiome belonging to domains Archaea, Bacteria, and kingdom Fungi are involved in the osmoregulation of halophytes. Halophilic microorganisms principally use compatible solutes, such as glycine, betaine, proline, trehalose, ectoine, and glutamic acid, to survive under salinity stress conditions. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) enhance plant growth and help to elucidate tolerance to salinity. Detailed studies of the metabolic pathways of plants have shown that plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria contribute to plant tolerance by affecting the signaling network of plants. Phytohormones (indole-3-acetic acid and cytokinin), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase biosynthesis, exopolysaccharides, halocins, and volatile organic compounds function as signaling molecules for plants to elicit salinity stress. This review focuses on the functions of plant microbiome and on understanding how the microorganisms affect halophyte health and growth.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.257-264
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• 2017

Pseudomonas veronii MS1 and P. migulae MS2 have several mechanisms of copper resistance and plant growth promoting capability, and also can alleviate abiotic stress in plant by hydrolysis of a precursor of stress ethylene, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) by ACC deaminase. In 4-week pot test for tomato growth in soil contained 700 mg/kg Cu, inoculation of MS1 and MS2 significantly increased root and shoot lengths, wet weight and dry weight of tomato plants compared to those of uninoculated control. The inoculated tomato plants contained less amounts of proline that can protect plants from abiotic stress, and malondialdehyde, an oxidative stress marker than those of control. ACC synthase genes, ACS4 and ACS6, and ACC oxidase genes, ACO1 and ACO4, both involved in ethylene synthesis, were strongly expressed in Cu stressed tomato, whereas significantly reduced in tomato inoculated with MS1 and MS2. Also, a gene encoding a metal binding protein metallothionein, MT2 showed similar expression pattern with above genes. All these results indicated that these rhizobacteria could confer Cu resistance to tomato plant under Cu stress and allowed a lower level of Cu stress and growth promotion.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.390-400
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• 2019

In this study, strains isolated from soil samples collected from Busan, Changwon, and Jeju Island were examined to verify their abilities of phosphate solubilization and nitrogen fixation, production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, and 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylyic acid (ACC) deaminase in order to select strains that promote plant growth and play a role in biocontrol of pests or pathogens. According to the results of this study, most of the isolated strains were found to have ability of phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, IAA production, siderophore production, and production of ACC deaminase. These isolated strains might help plant growth by directly improving absorption of nutrients essential for phosphate solubilization and nitrogen fixation. In addition, they can promote plant growth and control resistance to plant diseases through extracellular enzyme activity and antifungal activity. In addition, most of the selected strains were found to survive in various environmental conditions such as temperature, salinity, and pH. Therefore, Pseudomonas plecoglossicida ANG14, Pseudarthrobacter equi ANG28, Beijerinckia fluminensis ANG34, and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus ANG35 were finally selected through a comparative advantage analysis to suggest their potential as novel biological agents. Further studies are necessary in order to prove their efficacy as novel biological agents through formulation and optimization of effective microorganisms, their preservation period, and crop cultivation tests.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1577-1584
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• 2010

In total, 140 halotolerant bacterial strains were isolated from both the soil of barren fields and the rhizosphere of six naturally growing halophytic plants in the vicinity of the Yellow Sea, near the city of Incheon in the Republic of Korea. All of these strains were characterized for multiple plant growth promoting traits, such as the production of indole acetic acid (IAA), nitrogen fixation, phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) solubilization, thiosulfate ($S_2O_3$) oxidation, the production of ammonia ($NH_3$), and the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes such as protease, chitinase, pectinase, cellulase, and lipase under in vitro conditions. From the original 140 strains tested, on the basis of the latter tests for plant growth promotional activity, 36 were selected for further examination. These 36 halotolerant bacterial strains were then tested for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity. Twenty-five of these were found to be positive, and to be exhibiting significantly varying levels of activity. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses of the 36 halotolerant strains showed that they belong to 10 different bacterial genera: Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Planococcus, Zhihengliuella, Halomonas, Exiguobacterium, Oceanimonas, Corynebacterium, Arthrobacter, and Micrococcus. Inoculation of the 14 halotolerant bacterial strains to ameliorate salt stress (150 mM NaCl) in canola plants produced an increase in root length of between 5.2% and 47.8%, and dry weight of between 16.2% and 43%, in comparison with the uninoculated positive controls. In particular, three of the bacteria, Brevibacterium epidermidis RS15, Micrococcus yunnanensis RS222, and Bacillus aryabhattai RS341, all showed more than 40% increase in root elongation and dry weight when compared with uninoculated salt-stressed canola seedlings. These results indicate that certain halotolerant bacteria, isolated from coastal soils, have a real potential to enhance plant growth under saline stress, through the reduction of ethylene production via ACC deaminase activity.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.46-50
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• 2013

Some rhizobacteria producing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase can make plant to continue growth under the stress conditions through lowering the level of phytohormone, ethylene which inhibits the plant growth and accelerates plant aging. In this study, some rhizobacteria producing ACC deaminase have been isolated from the rhizosphere of plants grown at sand beaches, and identified as Escherichia hermannii m-2, Enterobacter asburiae m-4, Pseudomonas thivervalensis BD2-26 and Pseudomonas brassicacearum subsp. neoaurantiaca BD3-35 through sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Strain BD3-35 showed the highest activity of ACC deaminase among the isolates, 20.26 ${\alpha}$-ketobutyrate ${\mu}M/mg$ protein/h. Strains BD3-35 and BD2-26 secreted a phytohormone cytokinin, and strains m-4 and m-2 could produce auxin and abscisic acid, respectively. When these bacteria were applied to the 7-day old tomato plant under drought stress for 7 days, strains BD3-35, m-2, and m-4 increased the length of tomato root by 14, 15, and 35%, respectively, and strains m-2, BD2-26 and BD3-35 increased the dry weight of tomato plant by 22, 33, and 68%, respectively compared to the uninoculated control tomatoes. Therefore, these rhizobacteria may be utilized as a microbial fertilizer for the plants under drought stress.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.302-307
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• 2010

Nitrogen is an element need to grow plants growth. Plants take up nitrogen in the form of nitrate or ammonium. Most of plants absorb nitrogen source as fertilizers. But from 50 to 70% of fertilizers applied were washed away. This study was conducted to isolate free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria from reed and to examine its beneficial traits for developing sustainable biofertilizers. Enriched consortium obtained from a reed in Ansan was developed for the fixing of nitrogen. Nitrogen fixing bacteria isolated from an enriched culture in Congo Red Medium was analyzed by 16s rDNA sequencing. AKC-10 was isolated and shown to have excellent nitrogen fixing ability. The optimum conditions of nitrogen fixing ability were $25^{\circ}C$ ($237.50{\pm}39.65\;nmole{\cdot}mg-protein^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ and pH 7 ($168.335{\pm}12.84$ nmole/hr mg-protein). It was identified as Microbacterium hominis [(AKC-10 (similarity : 99%)]. This strain was had to IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) productivity and ACC(1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) deaminase activity. Therefore, Microbacterium hominis AKC-10 stimulated plant development in the soil, enhancing the efficiency of remediation.