• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.405-409
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• 2005

Cellular components of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis (heat-killed whole cells, cytoplasm, and cell walls) were tested for their in vivo immunopotentiating activities. Peritoneal macrophages from mice injected intraperitoneally with cell-wall fractions exhibited significantly greater phagocytic activity than groups injected with whole cells or cytoplasm fraction. Cytotoxicity of natural-killer cells was highest in cytoplasm fractions. Production of cytokines (IFN-${\gamma}$, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-12) in spleen cells was significantly higher when cellular components were injected intraperitoneally, and tended to be higher in whole-cell and cytoplasm groups than in cell-wall group. These results demonstrate lactic acid bacteria whole cells and their cytoplasm and cell-wall tractions have immunopotentiating activities.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1615-1624
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• 2023

Microcystis blooms threaten ecosystem function and cause substantial economic losses. Microorganismbased methods, mainly using cyanobactericidal bacteria, are considered one of the most ecologically sound methods to control Microcystis blooms. This study focused on gaining genomic insights into Paucibacter aquatile DH15 that exhibited excellent cyanobactericidal effects against Microcystis. Additionally, a pan-genome analysis of the genus Paucibacter was conducted to enhance our understanding of the ecophysiological significance of this genus. Based on phylogenomic analyses, strain DH15 was classified as a member of the species Paucibacter aquatile. The genome analysis supported that strain DH15 can effectively destroy Microcystis, possibly due to the specific genes involved in the flagellar synthesis, cell wall degradation, and the production of cyanobactericidal compounds. The pan-genome analysis revealed the diversity and adaptability of the genus Paucibacter, highlighting its potential to absorb external genetic elements. Paucibacter species were anticipated to play a vital role in the ecosystem by potentially providing essential nutrients, such as vitamins B₇, B₁₂, and heme, to auxotrophic microbial groups. Overall, our findings contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the action of cyanobactericidal bacteria against Microcystis and shed light on the ecological significance of the genus Paucibacter.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 1999

Recent advances in the biotechnology of ruminal bacteria have been made in the characterization of enzymes involved in plant cell wall digestion, the exploration of mechanisms of gene transfer in ruminal bacteria, and the development of vectors. These studies have culminated in the introduction and expression of heterologous glucanase and xylanase genes and a fluoroacetate dehalogenase gene in ruminal bacteria. These recent studies show the strategy of gene and vector construction necessary for the production of genetically engineered bacteria for introduction into ruminants. Molecular research on proteolytic turnover of protein in the rumen is in its infancy, but a novel protein high in essential amino acids designed for intracellular expression in ruminal organisms provides an interesting approach for improving the amino acid profile of ruminal organisms.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.547-551
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• 1998

Sixty isolates of lactic acid bacteria found in kimchi, a traditional Korean dish of fermented vegetables, were tested for nisin sensitivity. Of the sixty isolates, all belonging to the genera Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus, fifty isolates were sensitive to nisin at a concentration of 100 IU/$m\ell$, and four isolates appeared to be resistant to nisin. This demonstrated that the nisin sensitivity of lactic acid bacteria found in kimchi varied considerably among isolates. In MRS broth containing nisin at concentrations of 100 to 300 IV/$m\ell$, the growth of sensitive isolates of Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus plantarum was inhibited for two to three days at 2$0^{\circ}C$. When nisin was added to kimchi preparations at a concentration of 100 IU/$m\ell$, the growth of lactic acid bacteria was delayed and reached a maximum two days later than that in kimchi without nisin. These results suggest the possible use of nisin in kimchi preparation, at recommended levels, to control the lactic acid fermentation. Scanning electron micrographs of a sensitive isolate L. plantarum revealed the formation of pores on cell surfaces followed by rapid cell wall destruction 1 h after the addition of nisin.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.483-487
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• 1992

Among a few number of UV-resistant isolated form various environmental sources (10), we made a comparative physio-chemoanalytical study on one of spherical bacteria isolated from air dust, presumably Deinococcus sp. (CM strain 29) with an UV resistant bacterium, Deinococcus radiophilus ATCC 27603 as the reference strain. Our isolate of UV resistant coccus, Deinococcus sp. CM 29 and D. radiophilus ATCC 27603 showed more than 75% matching coefficient in metabolic activity of various substrates. The most predominant cellular fatty acid of both strains was palmitoleic acid (C 16 :1, cis 9), but the detail fatty acid profiles were slightly dissimilar to each other. Cell-bound arange pigment seemed to be an identical chemicals on spectrophotometric analysis. L-ornithine was detected as cell-wall amino acid in both strains. Galactose was detected as cell-wall sugar in D. radiophilus ATCC 27603, whereas glucose in Deinococcus sp. CM 29. G-C molar ratio of both strains was comparable, 63-65%.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.224-228
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• 2010

The encapsulation of bacteria may be used to harness them for longer periods of time in order to make them viable, whereas antibiotic treatment would result in controlled release of therapeutic molecules. Encapsulated Escherichia coli GFP (green fluorescent protein) (E. coli GFP) was used here as a model for therapeutic substance - GFP fragments release (model of bioactive substances). Our aim was to evaluate the performance of bacteria encapsulated in hollow fibers (HFs) treated with antibiotic for induction of cell death. The polypropylene-surface-modified HFs were applied for E. coli encapsulation. The encapsulated bacteria were treated with tetracycline in vitro or in vivo during subcutaneous implantation into mice. The HF content was evaluated in a flow cytometer, to assess the bacteria cell membrane permeability changes induced by tetracycline treatment. It was observed that the applied membranes prevented release of bacteria through the HF wall. The E. coli GFP culture encapsulated in HF in vitro proved the tetracycline impact on bacteria viability and allows the recognition of the sequence of events within the process of bacteria death. Treatment of the SCID mice with tetracycline for 8 h proved the tetracycline impact on bacteria viability in vivo, raising the necrotic bacteria-releasing GFP fragments. It was concluded that the bacteria may be safely enclosed within the HF at the site of implantation, and when the animal is treated with antibiotic, bacteria may act as a local source of fragments of proteins expressed in the bacteria, a hypothetical bioactive factor for the host eukaryotic organism.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.277-284
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• 1998

This experiment was carried out to study the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculation and addition of cell wall degrading enzymes on the fermentation characteristics and chemical compositions of Italian ryegrass silage. An inoculant LAB with or without a cell wall degrading enzyme of Acremoniumcellulase (A), or Meicellulase (M) or a mixture of both (AM), was applied to 1 kg of fresh Italian ryegrass sample. The treatments were control untreated, LAB-treated (application rate $10^5$ cfu/g fresh sample), LAB+A 0.005%, LAB + A 0.01%, LAB+A 0.02%, LAB + M 0.005%, LAB + M 0.01%, LAB + M 0.02%, LAB+AM 0.005%, LAB + AM 0.01% and LAB+AM 0.02%. The sample was ensiled into 2-L vinyl bottle silo, with 9 silages of each treatment were made (a total of 99 silages). Three silages of each treatment were incubated at 20, 30 and $40{^{\circ}C}$ for an approximately 2-months storage period. All silages were well preserved as evidenced by their low pH values (3.79-4.20) and high lactic acid concentrations (7.71-11.34% DM). The fermentation quality and chemical composition of the control untreated and the LAB-treated silages were similar, except that for volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) content was lower (p < 0.05) in the LAB-treated silages. LAB + cellulase treatments improved the fermentation quality of silages by decreasing (p < 0.01) pH values and increasing (p<0.01) lactic acid concentrations, in all of cellulase types and incubation temperatures. Increasing amount of cellulase addition resulted in further decrease (p < 0.01) of pH value and increases (p < 0.01) of lactic acid and residual water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations. LAB + cellulase treatments reduced (p<0.01) NDF, ADF, hemicellulose and cellulose contents of silages compared with both the control untreated and LAB-treated silages. LAB + cellulase treatments did not affect the silage digestibility due to fact of in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) was similar in all silages. The silages treated with cellulase A resulted in a better fermentation quality and a higher rate of cell wall reduction losses than those of the silages treated with cellulases M and AM. Incubation temperature of $30{^{\circ}C}$ seemed to be more suitable for the fermentation of Italian ryegrass silages than those of 20 and $40{^{\circ}C}$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1760-1768
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• 2018

The type strain Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis KCTC $3135^T$ was deeply sequenced and annotated, replacing a previous draft genome in this study. The tar and tag genes were involved in synthesizing wall teichoic acids (WTAs), and these genes and their products were previously regarded as the distinguishing difference between B. s. subtilis and B. s. spizizenii. However, a comparative genomic analysis of B. subtilis spp. revealed that both B. s. subtilis and B. s. spizizenii had various types of cell walls. These tar and tag operons were mutually exclusive and the tar genes from B. s. spizizenii were very similar to the genes from non-Bacillus bacteria, unlike the tag genes from B. s. subtilis. The results and previous studies suggest that the tar genes and the tag genes are not inherited after subspecies speciation. The phylogenetic tree based on whole genome sequences showed that each subspecies clearly formed a monophyletic group, while the tree based on tar genes showed that monophyletic groups were formed according to the cell wall type rather than the subspecies. These findings indicate that the tar genes and the presence of ribitol as a cell-wall constituent were not the distinguishing difference between the subspecies of B. subtilis and that the description of subspecies B. s. spizizenii should be updated.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.288-292
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• 2006

Through statistically designed experiments, lysis agents were optimized to effectively disrupt bacterial cells in a microfluidic device. Most surfactants caused the efficient lysis of Gram-positive microbes, but not of Gram-negative bacteria. A Plackett-Burman design was used to select the components that increase the efficiency of the lysis of the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. Using this experimental design, both lysozyme and benzalkonium chloride were shown to significantly increase the cell lysis efficiency, and ATP was extracted in proportion to the lysis efficiency. Benzalkonium chloride affected the cell membrane physically, while lysozyme destroyed the cell wall, and the amount of ATP extracted increased through the synergistic interaction of these two components. The two-factor response-surface design method was used to determine the optimum concentrations of lysozyme and benzalkonium chloride, which were found to be 202 and 99 ppm, respectively. The lysis effect was further verified by microscopic observations in the microchannels. These results indicate that Gram-negative cells can be lysed efficiently in a microfluidic device, thereby allowing the rapid detection of bacterial cells using a bioluminescence-based assay of the released ATP.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.98-102
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• 2015

Oleanolic acid and its derivatives are pentacyclic triterpene acids, which are produced in many plants and herbs. These are considered safe and thus, oleanolic acid is now used for cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. Oleanolic acid affects peptidoglycan in cell wall of bacteria. Hence, the antimicrobial activity of oleanolic acid is not very obvious to Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella flexneri, and Shigella sonnei because the peptidoglycan is covered with outer membrane. However, oleanolic acid derivatives showed improved antimicrobial activity to Gram-negative bacteria. For Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, oleanolic acid was very effective on reducing the cell counts of the pathogens. In addition, the cytotoxicity of oleanolic acid for human cell lines was minimal. Therefore, oleanolic acid should be considered as an antimicrobial food additive and a therapeutic agent to control foodborne pathogens.