• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.293-299
• /
• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible impact of Bt Chinese cabbage on the soil microbial community. Microbial communities were isolated from the rhizosphere of one Bt Chinese cabbage variety and four varieties of conventional ones and were subjected to be analyzed using both culture-dependent and molecular methods. The total counts of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes in the rhizosphere of transgenic and conventional Chinese cabbages were observed to have an insignificant difference. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes revealed that the bacterial community structures were very similar to each other and this genetic stability of microbial communities was maintained throughout the culture periods. Analysis of dominant isolates in the rhizosphere of transgenic and conventional Chinese cabbages showed that the dominant isolates from the soil of transgenic Chinese cabbage belonged to the Bacilli and Alphaproteobacteria, while the dominant isolates from the soil of conventional cabbage belonged to the Holophagae and Planctomycetacia, respectively. These results indicate that the Bt transgenic cabbage has no significant impact on the soil microbial communities.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.30 no.7
• /
• pp.625-629
• /
• 2020

The Ocean is a rich source of diverse living organisms include viruses. In this study, we examined the microbial communities in the sea adjacent to Jeju Island in two seasons by metatranscriptomics. We collected and extracted total RNA, and, using the next-generation sequencing HiSeq 2000 and de novo transcriptome assembly, we identified 652,984 and 163,759 transcripts from the March and December samples, respectively. The most abundant organisms in March were bacteria, while eukaryotes were dominant in the December sample. The bacterial communities differed between the two samples, suggesting seasonal change. To identify the viruses, we searched the transcripts against a viral reference database using MegaBLAST with the most identified being bacteriophages infecting the marine bacteria. However, we also revealed an abundance of transcripts associated with diverse herpesviruses in the two transcriptomes, indicating the presence or possible threat of infection of fish in the sea around Jeju Island. This data is valuable for the study of marine microbial communities and for identifying possible viral pathogens.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.305-317
• /
• 2024

To investigate the effect of changes in microbial communities on arsenic release in soil, experiments were conducted on arsenic-contaminated soils (F1, G7, and G10). The experiments involved three groups of the experimental sets; ① BAC: sterilized soil + Bacillus fungorum, ② IND: indigenous bacteria, and ③ MIX: indigenous bacteria + B. fungorum, and incubated them for seven weeks using lactate as a carbon source under anaerobic conditions. The experimental results showed that higher concentrations of arsenic were released from the IND and MIX soils, where indigenous bacterial communities existed, compared to BAC. Significantly higher levels of arsenic were released from the G10 soil, which showed higher pH, compared to the F1 and G7 soils. In the G10 soil, unlike other soils, the proportion of As(III) among the released arsenic was also low. These results may be attributed to differences in microbial community composition that vary depending on the soil. By the seventh week, the diversity of microbial species in the IND and MIX soils had significantly decreased, with dominant orders such as Eubacteriales and Bacillales thriving. Bacteroidales in the seventh week of the MIX in the F1 soil, Rummeliibacillus in the seventh week of the IND and MIX of the G7 soil, and Enterobacterales in the IND and MIX of the G10 soil were dominant. At present, it is not known which mechanisms of microbial community changes affect the geochemical behavior of arsenic; however, these results indicate that microbiome in the soil may function as one of the factors regulating arsenic release.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.221-227
• /
• 2019

During the operation, maintenance and decommissioning of nuclear power plant radioactive contaminated waste is produced. This waste is stored in an underground repository 60-100 meters below the surface. The metallic portion of this waste comprises mostly carbon and stainless steel. A long-term field exposure showed high corrosion rates, general corrosion up to 29 ㎛ a^-1 and localized corrosion even higher. High corrosion rate is possible if microbes produce corrosive products, or alter the local microenvironment to favor corrosion. The bacterial and archaeal composition of biofilm formed on the surface of carbon steel was studied using 16S rRNA gene targeting sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analyses of the microbial community. The functional potential of the microbial communities in biofilm was studied by functional gene targeting quantitative PCR. The corrosion rate was calculated from weight loss measurements and the deposits on the surfaces were analyzed with SEM/EDS and XRD. Our results demonstrate that microbial diversity on the surface of carbon steel and their functionality is vast. Our results suggest that in these nutrient poor conditions the role of methanogenic archaea in corrosive biofilm, in addition to sulphate reducing bacteria, could be greater than previously suspected.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.50 no.11
• /
• pp.578-583
• /
• 2017

Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is a coinhibitory molecule and plays a pivotal role in immune regulation. Here, we demonstrate a role for PD-1 in pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Wild-type (WT) mice had severe wasting disease during experimentally induced colitis, while mice deficient for PD-1 ($PD-1^{-/-}$) did not develop colon inflammation. Interestingly, $PD-1^{-/-}$ mice cohoused with WT mice became susceptible to colitis, suggesting that resistance of $PD-1^{-/-}$ mice to colitis is dependent on their gut microbiota. 16S rRNA gene-pyrosequencing analysis showed that $PD-1^{-/-}$ mice had altered composition of gut microbiota with significant reduction in Rikenellaceae family. These altered colon bacteria of $PD-1^{-/-}$ mice induced less amount of inflammatory mediators from colon epithelial cells, including interleukin (IL)-6, and inflammatory chemokines. Taken together, our study indicates that PD-1 expression is involved in the resistance to experimental colitis through altered bacterial communities of colon.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.92-97
• /
• 2006

We developed an mPCR assay for the simultaneous detection, in one tube, of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes using species-specific primers. The mPCR employed the E. coli O157:H7 specific primer Stx2A, Salmonella spp. specific primer Its, S. aureus specific primer Cap8A-B and L. monocytogenes specific primer Hly. Amplification with these primers produced products of 553, 312, 405 and 210 bp, respectively. All PCR products were easily detected by agarose gel electrophoresis, and the sequences of the specific amplicons assessed. Potential pathogenic bacteria, in laboratory-prepared and four commercially available kimchi products, were using this mPCR assay, and the amplicons cloned and sequenced. The results correlated exactly with sequences derived for amplicons obtained during preliminry tests with known organisms. The sensitivity of the assay was determined for the purified pathogen DNAs from four strains. The mPCR detected pathogen DNA at concentrations ranging from approximately 0.45 to $0.05\;pM/{\mu}l$. Thus, this mPCR assay may allow for the rapid, reliable and cost-effective identification of four potentially pathogens present in the mixed bacterial communities of commercially available kimchi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.7
• /
• pp.1140-1151
• /
• 2010

Differences in DNA banding patterns, obtained by ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA), and nitrification were followed in a moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) receiving municipal landfill leachate. Complete nitrification (>99%) to nitrate was obtained in the two-stage MBBR system with an ammonium load of 1.09 g N-$NH_4/m^2{\cdot}d$. Increasing the ammonium load to 2.03 g N-$NH_4/m^2{\cdot}d$or more caused a decline in process efficiency to 70-86%. Moreover, at the highest ammonium load (3.76 g N-$NH_4/m^2{\cdot}d$), nitrite was the predominant product of nitrification. Community succession was evident in both compartments in response to changes in ammonium load. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) supported by similarity analysis (ANOSIM) showed that microbial biofilm communities differed between compartments. The microbial biofilm was composed mainly of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), with Nitrosomonas europeae and N. eutropha being most abundant. These results suggest that high ammonium concentrations suit particular AOB strains.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.178-187
• /
• 2020

BACKGROUND: Spent coffee grounds are the most valuable resource for agriculture and industry. However, it is almost thrown untreated into landfills or incineration. Composting is an efficient process for converting spent coffee to fertilizer. METHODS AND RESULTS: Composting was conducted in the compost pile (40 ㎥) equipped with a forced aeration system. Physical and chemical properties containing temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and moisture were measured through the composting period. Moreover, biological changes were examined for the composting phase using Illumina Miseq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. We found 7-14 phyla comprising 250-716 species from a variety phase of compost. During the composting period, Firmicutes were dominated, followed by Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. CONCLUSION: The result indicated that the use of spent coffee improved the quality of organic fertilizer and changed the microbial communities, unique to the thermal composting stage, which could enhance the composting process. These findings suggest that spent coffee composted material can provide a significant amount of nutrients, thereby supporting plant growth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.853-861
• /
• 2010

High substrate costs decrease the profitability of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) production, and thus low-cost carbon substrates coming from agricultural and industrial residuals are tested for the production of these biopolymers. Among them, crude glycerol, formed as a by-product during biodiesel production, seems to be the most promising source of carbon. The object of this study was to characterize the mixed population responsible for the conversion of crude glycerol into PHAs by cultivation-dependent and -independent methods. Enrichment of the microbial community was monitored by applying the Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA), and the identification of community members was based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of cultivable species. Molecular analysis revealed that mixed populations consisted of microorganisms affiliated with four bacterial lineages: ${\alpha}$, ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroides. Among these, three Pseudomonas strains and Rhodobacter sp. possessed genes coding for polyhydroxyalkanoates synthase. Comparative analysis revealed that most of the microorganisms detected by direct molecular analysis were obtained by the traditional culturing method.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.433-440
• /
• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the pathogenicity of microorganisms by quantitative and qualitative analysis of microorganisms before and after flushing of dental unit water. Methods: This study was conducted on the supply of high-speed handpieces, ultrasonic scalers, and air-water syringes, which sterilized from 10 dental unit chairs at a dental clinic in South Gyeongsang Province. The number of bacterial communities was calculated by collection before and after flushing (2, 4, and 6 minutes). Results: The mean number of bacteria in the handpiece water before flushing was $27,208CFU/m{\ell}$; 2 minutes after flushing, $2,180CFU/m{\ell}$; 4 minutes after flushing, $900CFU/m{\ell}$; and 6 minutes after flushing, $412CFU/m{\ell}$. Conclusions: To minimize the risk of cross-infection and intra-clinic infection in dental clinics, education and water quality monitoring may be needed.