• Journal of Species Research
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.127-136
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• 2015

As an outcome of the study on the bacterial species diversity in Korea, we report 24 unrecorded bacterial species of Korea belonging to the phylum Firmicutes. The unrecorded species excavated through this study were assigned to 12 different genera of 7 families, namely Bacillus, Halobacillus, Lysinibacillus and Thalassobacillus of Bacillaceae, Brevibacillus and Paenibacillus of Paenibacillaceae, Viridibacillus of Planococcaceae, Salinicoccus and Staphylococcus of Staphylococcaceae, Enterococcus of Enterococcaceae, Lactobacillus of Lactobacillaceae, and Lactococcus of Streptococcaceae, respectively. The bacterial isolates were obtained from various ecosystems in Korea. The isolates were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and those exhibiting at least 99% sequence similarity with known bacterial species but never reported in Korea were selected as unrecorded species. The selected isolates were subjected to further taxonomic characterization including the analysis of cell shape and fine structure using electron microscope, colony color and shapes, enzyme activities and carbon source utilization. The descriptive information on the 24 unrecorded species are provided.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.104-113
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• 2018

In order to investigate indigenous prokaryotic species diversity in Korea, various environmental samples from diverse ecosystems were examined. Isolated bacterial strains were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and those exhibiting at least 98.7% sequence similarity with known bacterial species, but not reported in Korea, were selected as unrecorded species. 28 unrecorded bacterial species belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes were discovered from various habitats including wastewater, freshwater, freshwater sediment, wet land, reclaimed land, plant root, bird feces, seawater, sea sand, tidal flat sediment, a scallop, marine algae, and seaweed. The unrecorded species were assigned to 18 different genera in five families: Flavobacterium, Epilithonimonas, Dokdonia, Gillisia, Flavicella, Chryseobacterium, Algibacter, Aquimarina, Lacinutrix, Gaetbulibacter, Cellulophaga, Tenacibaculum, and Maribacter of Flavobacteriaceae, Dyadobacter of Cytophagaceae, Draconibacterium of Draconibacterium_f, Sunxiuqinia of Prolixibacteraceae, and Fulvivirga of Fulvivirga_f. The selected isolates were subjected to further taxonomic characterization including analysis of Gram reaction, cellular and colonial morphology, biochemical activities, and phylogenetic trees. Descriptive information of the 28 unrecorded species is provided.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.602-608
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• 2010

An atrazine-degrading bacterium, strain KU001, was obtained from a sugarcane field at the Cane and Sugar Research and Development Center at the Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Thailand. Strain KU001 had a rod-to-coccus morphological cycle during growth. Biolog carbon source analysis indicated that the isolated bacterium was Arthrobacter histidinolovorans. Sequence analysis of the PCR product indicated that the 16S rRNA gene in strain KU001 was 99% identical to the same region in Arthrobacter sp. The atrazine degradation pathway in strain KU001 consisted of the catabolic genes trzN, atzB, and atzC. Strain KU001 was able to use atrazine as a sole nitrogen source for growth, and surprisingly, atrazine degradation was not inhibited in cells grown on ammonium, nitrate, or urea, as compared with cells cultivated on growth-limiting nitrogen sources. During the atrazine degradation process, the supplementation of nitrate completely inhibited atrazine degradation activity in strain KU001, whereas ammonium and urea had no effect on atrazine degradation activity. The addition of strain KU001 to sterile or nonsterile soils resulted in the disappearance of atrazine at a rate that was 4- to 5-fold more than that achieved by the indigenous microbial community. The addition of citrate to soils resulted in enhanced atrazine degradation, where 80% of atrazine disappeared within one day following nutrient supplementation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1156-1167
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize lead (Pb)-solubilizing bacteria from heavy metal-contaminated mine soils and to evaluate their inoculation effects on the growth and Pb absorption of Brassica juncea. The isolates were also evaluated for their plant growth-promoting characteristics as well as heavy metal and salt tolerance. A total of 171 Pb-tolerant isolates were identified, of which only 15 bacterial strains were able to produce clear haloes in solid medium containing PbO or $PbCO_3$, indicating Pb solubilization. All of these 15 strains were also able to dissolve the Pb minerals in a liquid medium, which was accompanied by significant decreases in pH values of the medium. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the Pb-solubilizing strains belonged to genera Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Brevibacterium, and Staphylococcus. A majority of the Pb-solubilizing strains were able to produce indole acetic acid and siderophores to different extents. Two of the Pb-solubilizing isolates were able to solubilize inorganic phosphate as well. Some of the strains displayed tolerance to different heavy metals and to salt stress and were able to grow in a wide pH range. Inoculation with two selected Pb-solubilizing and plant growth-promoting strains, (i.e., Brevibacterium frigoritolerans YSP40 and Bacillus paralicheniformis YSP151) and their consortium enhanced the growth and Pb uptake of B. juncea plants grown in a metal-contaminated soil. The bacterial strains isolated in this study are promising candidates to develop novel microbe-assisted phytoremediation strategies for metal-contaminated soils.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.391-402
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• 2017

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used as starter culture in food fermentation due to their harmless entity and health beneficial properties along with the ability to change texture, aroma, flavor and acidity of food products. In this study, five different LAB (FB003, FB058, FB077, FB081, and FB111) isolated from different Korean traditional fermented foods, assigned to Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Weissella viridescens, Lactobacillus sakei, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, respectively, on the basis of their physiological properties and 16S rRNA sequence analysis, to use as fermentation starter and check their ability to fasten the ripening time as well as the overall optimization in the fermentation condition. To check their suitability as starters, their safety, acid and bile tolerance, NaCl and temperature resistance, susceptibility to common antibiotics, and antimicrobial activities were determined. Squid jeotgal samples were prepared by adding $10^8CFU/g$ of each strain in different samples, which were then kept for fermentation at $4^{\circ}C$ and checked for their antioxidant activities at 0, 7, 15, and 21-day intervals. The samples fermented with FB003 and FB077 displayed the highest antioxidant activity. This study revealed two effective starter cultures (FB003, FB077) for squid jeotgal fermentation, which presented increased functionalities. The results of this study will lead to the development of novel industrial-scale production avenues for jeotgal preparation, and offer new insights into the prevention and control of chronic diseases.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2003

A bacteria strain producing extracellular $\beta$-mannanase was isolated from soil and was identified as Bacillus subtilis by 16S rRNA sequence comparison and biochemical determinations. The optimum pH and temperature for the $\beta$-mannanase activity were 5.0 and 5.5$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The zymogram technique revealed a single protein band exhibiting $\beta$-mannanase activity from the culture supernatant. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated at approximately 130 kDa. The addition of 0.5% lactose or 0.5% locust bean gum to the LB medium caused to Increase significantly the $\beta$-mannanase productivity from Bacillus subtilis JS-1. The cells grown on LB medium supplemented with lactose produced maximal enzyme activity at the stationary phase. In contrast to this, the $\beta$-mannanase was induced at the logarithmic phase from the cells grown on LB medium supplemented with locust bean gum. The discrepancy in induction times suggests that $\beta$-mannanase was induced by different induction mechanisms depending on the carbon sources in Bacillus subtilis JS-1 .

• Mycobiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.368-375
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• 2014

Red ginseng (Panax ginseng), a Korean traditional medicinal plant, contains a variety of ginsenosides as major functional components. It is necessary to remove sugar moieties from the major ginsenosides, which have a lower absorption rate into the intestine, to obtain the aglycone form. To screen for microorganisms showing bioconversion activity for ginsenosides from red ginseng, 50 yeast strains were isolated from Korean traditional meju (a starter culture made with soybean and wheat flour for the fermentation of soybean paste). Twenty strains in which a black zone formed around the colony on esculin-yeast malt agar plates were screened first, and among them 5 strains having high ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity on p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside as a substrate were then selected. Strain JNO301 was finally chosen as a bioconverting strain in this study on the basis of its high bioconversion activity for red ginseng extract as determined by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis. The selected bioconversion strain was identified as Candida allociferrii JNO301 based on the nucleotide sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene. The optimum temperature and pH for the cell growth were $20{\sim}30^{\circ}C$ and pH 5~8, respectively. TLC analysis confirmed that C. allociferrii JNO301 converted ginsenoside Rb1 into Rd and then into F2, Rb2 into compound O, Rc into compound Mc1, and Rf into Rh1. Quantitative analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography showed that bioconversion of red ginseng extract resulted in an increase of 2.73, 3.32, 33.87, 16, and 5.48 fold in the concentration of Rd, F2, compound O, compound Mc1, and Rh1, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1724-1734
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• 2010

A phosphate-solubilizing bacterial strain isolated from Hippophae rhamnoides rhizosphere was identified as Rahnella sp. based on its phenotypic features and 16S rRNA gene sequence. The bacterial strain showed the growth characteristics of a cold-adapted psychrotroph, with the multiple plant growth-promoting traits of inorganic and organic phosphate solubilization, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate-deaminase activity, ammonia generation, and siderophore production. The strain also produced indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-acetaldehyde, indole-3-acetamide, indole-3-acetonitrile, indole-3-lactic acid, and indole-3-pyruvic acid in tryptophan-supplemented nutrient broth. Gluconic, citric and isocitric acids were the major organic acids detected during tricalcium phosphate solubilization. A rifampicin-resistant mutant of the strain exhibited high rhizosphere competence without disturbance to the resident microbial populations in pea rhizosphere. Seed bacterization with a charcoal-based inoculum significantly increased growth in barley, chickpea, pea, and maize under the controlled environment. Microplot testing of the inoculum at two different locations in pea also showed significant increase in growth and yield. The attributes of cold-tolerance, high rhizosphere competence, and broad-spectrum plant growth-promoting activity exhibited the potential of Rahnella sp. BIHB 783 for increasing agriculture productivity.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.605-611
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• 2011

This study examined the suitability of characteristics of potential strains of probiotic bacteria. Among 25 lactic acid bacteria isolated from Korean traditional fermented food, the Hard Clam Meretrix meretrix Shikhae, the SH-10 strain, which exhibited superior resistance to low pH and bile salts, was selected as a potential probiotic bacteria. By examining carbohydrate utilization, morphological properties, and the 16S rRNA gene sequence, the SH-10 strain was identified as Pediococcus pentosaceus (hereafter, P. pentosaceus SH-10). P. pentosaceus SH-10 was resistant to amikacin, cefotetan, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, and vancomycin. Tests of antimicrobial activities against pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella choleraesuis, and Staphylococcus aureus, indicated that P. pentosaceus SH-10 inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria. These results suggest that P. pentosaceus SH-10 can be developed as a probiotic bacteria.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.171-175
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• 2016

A gram-negative bacterium was isolated from spent substrates of Agaricus bisporus and showed significant antagonistic activity against Pseudomonas agarici. The bacterium was identified as Alcaligenes sp. based on cultural, biochemical, physiological characteristics and a 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The isolate is saprophytic, but not parasitic or pathogenic on cultivated mushroom, whereas it showed strong inhibitory effects against P. agarici cells in vitro. The control efficacy of Alcaligenes sp. HC12 against brown blotch of P. agarici was up to 63% on Agaricus bisporus. The suppressive bacterium may be useful for the development of biocontrol systems.