• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.592-599
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• 2012

Bacillus licheniformis ${\alpha}$-amylase (BLA), a thermophilic counterpart of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ${\alpha}$-amylase (BAA), is an appropriate model for the design of stabilizing mutations in BAA. BLA has 10 more histidines than BAA. Considering this prominent difference, in the present study, three out of these positions (I34, Q67, and P407; located in the thermostability determinant 1 region and Ca-III binding site of BAA) were replaced with histidine in BAA, using the site-directed mutagenesis technique. The results showed that the thermostability of P407H and Q67H mutants had increased, but no significant changes were observed in their kinetic parameters compared to that of the wild type. I34H replacement resulted in complete loss of enzyme activity. Moreover, fluorescence and circular dichroism data indicated a more rigid structure for the P407H variant compared with that of the wild-type BAA. However, the flexibility of Q67H and I34H mutants increased in comparison with that of wild-type enzyme.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.438-444
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• 2007

Bacillus licheniformis N1 is a biological control agent to control gray mold diseases caused by Botrytis cinerea. Various formulations of B. licheniformis N1 were generated and evaluated for the activity to control strawberry gray mold. The wettable powder type formulation N1E was selected in pot experiments with remarkable disease control activity on both strawberry leaves and flowers. The N1E formulation contained 400 g of com starch, 50 ml of olive oil, and 50 g of sucrose per a liter of bacterial fermentation culture. Optimum dilution of N1E to appropriately control the strawberry gray mold appeared to be 100-fold dilution in plastic house artificial infection experiments. The significant reduction of symptom development in the senescent leaves was apparent by the treatment of N1E at 100-fold dilution when N1E was applied before Bo. cinerea inoculation, but not after the inoculation. Both artificial infection experiments in a plastic house and natural infection experiments in the farm plastic house under production conditions revealed that the disease severity of gray mold on strawberry leaves and flowers was significantly reduced by N1E treatment. The disease control value of N1E on strawberry leaves was 81% under production conditions, as compared with the 61.5% conferred by a chemical fungicide, iprodione. This study suggests that our previously generated formulation of B. licheniformis N1 will be effective to control strawberry gray mold by its preventive activity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.198-205
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of feed types on Ochratoxin A (OTA) degradation by Korean native goats. Rumen fluid from canulated goats fed whole roughage or 50% roughage served as a source of micro-organisms. Experiments were undertaken i) to investigate OTA degradation ability in a $2{\times}4$ factorial arrangement with different feed types (100% roughage vs. 50% roughage) and rumen fluid fractions (whole rumen fluid, cells, autoclaved rumen fluid and supernatant) supplemented with OTA ii) to evaluate OTA degradation by the rumen fluid of goats fed two different diets at different time points (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 h) of feeding iii) to isolate potential rumen microorganisms and iv) to identify elements responsible for OTA degradation. Rumen fluid from goats fed 100% roughage had higher (p<0.05) OTA degradability than 50% roughage diets. OTA degradation based on rumen fluid collection times showed that rumen fluid at 0 h showed significantly higher (p<0.05) degradability. Carboxypeptidase A (CPA) enzyme has been reported to be responsible for OTA degradation. Thus, using real time PCR, primers designed to target the CPA gene from Bacillus licheniformis could be amplified using genomic DNA from rumen fluid of goats and sequenced, thus enabling evaluation of the Bacillus population under different feeding condition and times. Our findings showed that the Bacillus population was significantly higher (p<0.05) before feeding (0 h) in animals which were fed a whole roughage diet, giving indirect evidence of OTA degradation being influenced by Bacillus sps. Thus, it can be concluded that OTA degradability is influenced by feed, feeding time and Bacillus licheniformis population.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.12
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• pp.57-67
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• 1969

1) Many bacterial strains identified as Bacillus megeterium, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis were aboundantly found in summer jokal kimchi, but the most dominant strains in summer kimchi were Lactobacillus plantarum and Loctobacllus buchneri. 2) Bacillus groups found in kimchi were sensitive in a low concentration of AF-2, but groups of lactic acid bacteria were resistant to a high concentration of AF-2. 3) Allowable concentration of AF-2 in Korean kimchi is less than 10 p.p.m. 4) AF-2 was not suitable for the juicy kimchi as a preservative because the color of juicy kimchi was somewhat changed into orange red when 10 p.p.m. of AF-2 was added. 5) High concentration of AF-2 leads the hetero-fermentation of kimchi bacteria to the homofermentation. 6) Microflora of kimchi was influenced even in the concentration of 10 p.p.m. but it was impossible to check the acidification of kimchi in summer with 50 p.p.m. concentration of AF-2. 7) About 25% of AF-2 was consumed in kimchi fermentation for day at $23^{\circ}-25^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.548-553
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• 2006

The aim of this study was to produce Chungkookjang-a food produced through fermentation with Bacillus licheniformis E1-that contains an increased concentration of a bacterial biological response modifier (B-BRM). Unfortunately, sensory studies have indicated that B. licheniformis E1-fermented Chungkookjang is unacceptable for commercial use. We isolated another bacterial strain from this food product: B. subtilis S2. The optimum time and temperature for Chungkookjang fermentation with B. licheniformis E1 and B. subtilis S2 were 48 hr and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. Sensory studies showed that Chungkookjang fermented by both B. licheniformis E1 and B. subtilis S2 was more acceptable than B. licheniformis E1 only. The amino nitrogen and crude protein content of the product were 359 mg% and 45.6% respectively. Additionally, it was confirmed that the proliferation of mouse splenic lymphocytes increased significantly, when the cells were treated with the BRM from Chungkookjang fermented using the mixture of bacterial strains in vitro. These results suggest that the enriched Chungkookjang may help patients who are medically in need of potentiation of lymphocytes proliferation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.126-135
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• 2006

In a previous study, a biological response modifier (BRM) specifically enhancing the function of B-cells was isolated from Korean fermented soybean paste (Kfsp), but not from non-fermented soybeans. In this study, we attempted to isolate the bacteria producing the BRM from Kfsp (KfspBRM) by ELISA using anti-KfspBRM and by B-cell proliferation. Five bacteria whose culture supernatants showed the BRM activities were isolated, and one of them was identified as Bacillus licheniformis E1. The bacterial BRM (bBRM) originated from a slime layer of B. licheniformis El had a molecular weight of 1,594 kDa, and contained $33\%\;(w/w)$ of reduced sugar and $4.6\%\;(w/w)$ of protein content. The bBRM appeared to be a glycoprotein that is physically, structurally, and functionally similar to the KfspBRM, suggesting that the isolates including B. licheniformis El may produce the KfspBRM in the fermentation process of soybean paste. The mass production of the BRM by the bacterium may help to study B-cells in immunology, and the enrichment of the BRM in Kfsp may help patients in future who are medically in need of potentiation of B-cell proliferation and antibody production.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.191-197
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• 2016

Background: This study examined the use of new bio-materials with enhanced value and functionality, which were derived from fermented wild ginseng cultures. Methods and Results: To examine the antioxidant activity associated with biological functions, radical scavenging analyses (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, ABTS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity analyses were conducted. Furthermore, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of wild ginseng fermented with microorganisms (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus licheniformis and B. subtilis subsp. inaquosorum) were evaluated to determine the antioxidant activity increment. Regarding ginseng fermented with B. licheniformis, values of $70.6{\pm}1.4%$, $44.3{\pm}1.7%$, and $88.4{\pm}1.3%$ were measured using DPPH, ABTS, and SOD-like antioxdiant activity analyses, respectively. The total phenolic content in ginseng fermented with B. licheniformis was $184.5{\pm}0.9{\mu}g{\cdot}GAE/m{\ell}$, and the total flavonoid contents was $108.5{\pm}1.8{\mu}g{\cdot}QE/m{\ell}$ in ginseng fermented with L. mesenteroides. Conclusions: Of the four types of lactic acid bacteria examined, the use of B. licheniformis to ferment ginseng resulted in greatest increase in antioxidant activity. Therefore, ginseng fermented by microorganisms might be used to produce functional bio-materials.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1210-1214
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• 2010

Many bacteria are involved in the fermentation of doenjang, and Bacillus species are known to perform significant roles. Although SDS-PAGE has been frequently used to classify and identify bacteria in various samples, the microbial diversity in doenjang has not yet been investigated. This study aims to determine the identity and distribution of dominant Bacillus species in doenjang using SDS-PAGE profiles of whole-cell proteins and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Reference Bacillus strains yielded differential SDS-PAGE banding patterns that could be considered to be highly specific fingerprints. Grouping of bacterial strains isolated from doenjang samples by whole-cell protein patterns was confirmed by analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. B. subtilis was found to be the most dominant strain in most of the samples, whereas B. licheniformis and B. amyloliquefaciens were less frequently found but were also detected in several samples. The results obtained in this study show that a combined identification method using SDS-PAGE profiles of whole-cell proteins and subsequent 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis could successfully identify Bacillus species isolated from doenjang.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2012

We investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with probiotics on growth performance, feed utilization, innate immunity and disease resistance against Streptococcus iniae in juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. Four experimental diets were made by supplementation with three Bacillus sp. probiotics (B. subtilis, B. pumilus and B. licheniformis) into a basal diet (control) at 0.5% each. Three-hundred fish (average BW, 20 g) were randomly distributed (25 per tank) into twelve 150 L capacity polyvinyl circular tanks with three replicates per dietary treatment. Triplicate groups of fish were fed the experimental diets to apparent satiation (twice per day, 09:00 and 17:00 h) for nine weeks. After the feeding trial, a challenge test was directly conducted against S. iniae. The results indicated that dietary supplementation with the probiotic, Bacillus sp, seemed to improve growth performance of olive flounder. Hematological parameters and innate immunity as determined by nitroblue tetrazolium, myeloperoxidase or superoxide dismutase activities were not significantly affected by the probiotic supplementation. The result from the challenge test suggested that dietary supplementation with probiotics Bacillus sp. can improve the disease resistance of olive flounder against S. iniae.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.349-354
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• 1991

An alkaline amylase-producing Bacillus sp. GM8901 was isolated and some properties of crude enzyme extract were examined. The microbiological and biochemical characteristics of GM8901 were very similar to those of B. licheniformis. The optimal temperature and pH for the cell growth and amylase production were $50^{\circ}C$ and pH 10.5. The crude amylase extract showed that the optimal temperature and pH were $50{\sim}60^{\circ}C\;and\;pH\;10{\sim}12$, respectively, and that the activity of amylase was stable up to $50^{\circ}C$ and in the range of $pH\;3{\sim}12$.