• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.154-161
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• 2018

Currently, urban greening projects and research are attracting attention as a way to mitigate urban heat island phenomenon. In this study, nitrogen fixative bacteria were isolated and their effects on plant growth were confirmed. First, enrichment was performed in a nitrogen-free medium to isolate the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and the colony showing high growth in a medium with limited nitrogen source was isolated and purified. Separated bacterial isolates were reduced by more than 90% acetylene by ARA and indirectly confirmed the activity of nitrogenase by ethylene production. Cedecea sp. MK7 and Enterobacter sp. Y8 with confirmed reproducibility were selected as nitrogen fixative bacteria. Nitrogen fixing bacteria were applied to the growth of perennial rye grass, and it was found that the dry weight increased to 34.80 mg (186.60%) compared with the control with 18.65 mg dry weight. After plant growth, microbial community analysis of soil applied by bacteria showed similarity to the control group. Therefore, in this study, it is expected that the efficiency will be increased if plant growth is promoted by using nitrogen fixing bacteria in urban greenery system.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2004

We isolated and identified culturable Arctic bacteria that had inhabited soils around the Korean Arctic Research Station Dasan located at Ny-Alsund, Svalbard, Norway $(79^{\circ}N,\;12^{\circ}E)$. The collected soils were diluted in distilled water; the diluted soil-water was spread on 3M petri-films at Dasan Station. The petri-films were transported to the laboratory at KORDI, and cultured at $4^{\circ}C$. Colonies grown on the petri-films were subsequently cultured on nutrient agar plates at $4^{\circ}C$ every 7 days. The pure colonies were inoculated into nutrient liquid media, genomic DNA was extracted, and phylogenetic analysis was performed on the basis of 165 rDNA sequences. A total of 227 strains of bacteria were isolated. Among them, 16S rDNA sequences of 185 strains were identical with those of known strains isolated in this study, and 42 strains were finally identified. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA indicated that the 30 strains belonged to Pseudomonas, 7 strains to Arthrobacter, two strains to Flavobacterium, and the remaining to Achromobacter, Pedobacter, and Psychrobacter. Among the 42 strains, 14 bacteria produced protease: they were 6 strains of Pseudomonax, 4 strains of Arthrobater, an Achromobacter strain, 2 strains of Flavobacterium, and a Pedohacter strain. We expect these Arctic bacteria can be used for screening to develop new industrial enzymes that are active at low temperatures.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.150-154
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• 2002

Monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) have been used as diagnostic and analytical reagents since hybridoma technology was invented in 1975. In recent years, antibodies have become increasingly accepted as therapeutics for human diseases, particularly for cancer, viral infection and autoimmune disorders. An indication of the emerging significance of antibody-based therapeutics is that over a third of the proteins currently undergoing clinical trials in the United States are antibodies. Until the late 1980's, antibody technology relied primarily on animal immunization and the expression of engineered antibodies. However, the development of methods for the expression of antibody fragments in bacteria and powerful techniques for screening combinatorial libraries, together with the accumulating structure-function data base of antibodies, have opened unlimited opportunities for the engineering of antibodies with tailor-made properties for specific applications. Antibodies of low immunogenicity, suitable for human therapy and in vivo diagnosis, can now be developed with relative ease. Here, antibody structure-function and antibody engineering technologies are described.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2012

Antimicrobial peptides are widely used in various organisms as a defense system against infection. The peptides are lethal towards bacteria and fungi, however have minimal toxicity in mammalian and plant cells. In this aspect, it is considered that antimicrobial peptides are new alternative materials for defensing against microbial infection. Here, we describe overall characteristics of antimicrobial peptides based on the mechanism of action, classification of the peptides, report detection/screening methods and chemical/biological production. It is expected that understanding of innate immune system based on antimicrobial peptides tends to develop novel natural antimicrobial agents, which might be applied for defensing pathogenic microorganisms resistant to conventional antibiotics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.51-54
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• 2009

Myxobacteria, Gram-negative soil bacteria, are a well-known producer of bioactive secondary metabolites. Therefore, this study presents a methodological approach for the high-throughput screening of secondary metabolites from 4 wild-type Myxococcus xanthus strains. First, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was performed using extracellular crude extracts. As a result, 22 metabolite peaks were detected, and the metabolite profiling was then conducted using the m/z value, retention time, and MS/MS fragmentation pattern analyses. Among the peaks, one unknown compound peak was identified as analogous to the myxalamid A, B, and C series. An analysis of the tandem mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns and HR-MS identified myxalamid K as a new compound derived from M. xanthus. In conclusion, LC-MS/MS-based chemical screening of diverse secondary metabolites would appear to be an effective approach for discovering unknown microbial secondary metabolites.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.779-784
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• 2013

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis of global concern caused by Leptospira interrogans. The availability of ligand libraries has facilitated the search for novel drug targets using chemogenomics approaches, compared with the traditional method of drug discovery, which is time consuming and yields few leads with little intracellular information for guiding target selection. Recent subtractive genomics studies have revealed the putative drug targets in peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathways in Leptospira interrogans. Aligand library for the murD ligase enzyme in the peptidoglycan pathway has also been identified. Our approach in this research involves screening of the pre-existing ligand library of murD with related protein family members in the putative drug target assembly in the peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway. A chemogenomics approach has been implemented here, which involves screening of known ligands of a protein family having analogous domain architecture for identification of leads for existing druggable protein family members. By means of this approach, one murC and one murF inhibitor were identified, providing a platform for developing an anti-leptospirosis drug targeting the peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway. Given that the peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway is exclusive to bacteria, the in silico identified mur ligase inhibitors are expected to be broad-spectrum Gram-negative inhibitors if synthesized and tested in in vitro and in vivo assays.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.461-467
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• 1996

Four strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), that lower the pH of sausage $\leq$ 4.2 within 24 h of incubation at $37^{\circ}C$, were screened from 57 bacteriocin producing LAB which were isolated from kajamie shikhae and natural fermented sausages. The proteinaceous nature of the bacteriocin was confirmed by losing antimicrobial activity after pronase treatment. Inhibitory activity against pathogens, times of bacteriocin production and sensory tests were compared between 4 isolates and 3 commercial starters. Especially, strain NFS #8-1, screened from natural fermented sausage and identified as Pediococcus acidilactici, antagonized a large number of foodborne pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes, Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. Production of bacteriocin by strain NFS #8-1 was early in the growth phase (mid log phase) and its sensory acceptance was high. The feasibility of using strain NFS #8-1 as a starter for the production of microbiologically safe fermented sausage is envisaged.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.74-77
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• 2010

Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is beginning to pose a social issue. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of effective anti-staphylococcal agents to eradicate antibiotic-resistant S. aureus in food systems and to treat the pathogen in clinical areas. To address this need, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from kimchi were screened for the production of anti-staphylococcal bacteriocin. From this screening, a bacteriocin generated by the MK3 strain, which was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as Enterococcus faecium, demonstrated antimicrobial activity against an S. aureus strain, and was designated enterocin MK3. Enterocin MK3 also demonstrated activity against other gram-positive bacteria, including several LAB and Listeria monocytogenes, but not gram-negative Escherichia coli. The molecular mass of enterocin MK3 was estimated as approximately 6.5 kDa on an SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) gel.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.81-86
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• 1995

A Streptomyces strain YS-943, which produced amino acid antimetabolite, was isolated from soil. During the course of screening for new amino acid antimetabolites from the culture broth of Actinomycetes, we found that the strain produced a substance active against Gram-positive bacteria and its activity was reversed by L-methionine and L-histidine on the synthetic minimal agar medium in the culture broth.The morphological and cultural characteristics serve to identify the producing organism strain YS-943 as the genus Streptomyces. Fermentation was carried out in the synthetic medium at 28$\CIRC$C for 48 hours. The fermentation yield reached about 12 mg per liter of the broth. The YS-943 substance was obtained as white powder, mp 194$\CIRC$C and has the molecular formular of C$_{4}$H$_{8}$N$_{2}$O$_{4}$. Its structure was determined to be o-carbamyl-D-serine by spectroscopic data. It is active against some Gram-positive bacteria and reversed by L-methionine and L-histidine.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1986.12a
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• pp.522.3-523
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• 1986

A Screening test was carried out for chitin-decomposing bacteria. In 100 samples from soil, fesh water and sea water, 7 strains of Chitinolytic bacteria were isolated. 5-3K which exhibited the highest chitinase activity was identified as Aeromonas hydrophila and cultural conditions from maximum chitinase production were determined. Optimum Chitinase production was obtained at pH 7, 33eC and with chitin concentration greater tham 0.2% Under optimal conditions, high yields of Chitinase were obtained in 16-30 hours. Chitinase was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and sephadex G-100 gel-filtration from the culture filtrgte.