• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.654-662
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• 1996

Bacterial strains which degrade crude oil were isolated by liquid culture from oil-spilled soil, and four isolates were selected among them. The strain Hl7-1 was finally selected after testing emulsifying activity and oil conversion rate. The strain Hl7-1 was identified as a Nocardia sp. based on the test for morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics. It appears to be highly specialized for growth on crude oil in minimal salts medium since it showed preference for oil or degradation products as substrates for growth. It was found that it could grow on at least fifteen different hydrocarbons. The optimum cultural and environmental conditions were seeked. Cell growth and emulsification activity as a function of time were also determined. Crude oil degradation and the reduction of product peak was identified by the analysis of remnant oil by gas chromatography after 3 days of cultivation. Approximately 83% of oil were converted into a form no longer extractable by organic solvents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.694-699
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• 2014

Indigenous microorganisms play decisive roles in biodegradation. In this study, eighty strains of hydrocarbon-degrading microbes were isolated from Incheon Bay. Among them, 12 strains were selected by an oil film collapsing method. The bacterial strain 'Incheon9' was eventually selected based on its relatively higher lipase and emulsification activities, and was identified as Acinetobacter sp. (NCBI accession code: KF54854). The optimum condition for the growth and emulsification activity of Acinetobacter sp. Incheon9 was $20^{\circ}C$, pH 7, and 1% NaCl. The optimum time for the best production of biosurfactant was 72 hrs. The oil degradation ability of Acinetobacter sp. Incheon9 was investigated by measuring the residual oils in the culture medium by gas chromatography (FID). This research provides foundational data for eco-friendly environmental remediation by microorganisms.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2000

2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T)-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from rice field and field in suburbs of Taejon. Of the total 100 isolates, 19 strains were selected by fast growth on solid minimal media containing 2,4,5-T as a sole of carbon and energy, and they were identified to genus level. 11 strains were identified as Pseudomonas, 4 strains as Acinetobacter, 1 strains were as Alcaliagenes and 3 strains were not identified. Strains MU19 and MU92 which were identified as Pseudomonas were capable of degradation for 4 kinds of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons, 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, MCPA and 3CB. Acinetobacter sp. MU38 showed the highest degradability in liquid minimal media at 48 hours after inoculation, and Pseudomonas spp. MU19. MU57, MU73, and MU92 were able to degrade carbon source at higher rates. As the results Acinetobacter sp. MU38 and Pseudomonas spp. MU19 and MU92 were capable of biodegradation for broad range of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, and had higher rates of degradation for 2,4,5-T.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.79-90
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• 2019

Lichens are generally known as self-sufficient, symbiotic life-forms between fungi and algae/cyanobacteria, and they also provide shelter for a wide range of beneficial bacteria. Currently, bacterial-derived biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is grabbing the attention of many researchers as a promising alternative to non-degradable plastics. This study was conducted to develop a new method of PHA production using unexplored lichen-associated bacteria, which can simultaneously degrade two ubiquitous industrial toxins, anthracene and naphthalene. Here, 49 lichen-associated bacteria were isolated and tested for PHA synthesis. During the GC-MS analysis, a potential strain of EL19 was found to be a 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3-HHx) accumulator and identified as Pseudomonas sp. based on the 16S rRNA sequencing. GC analysis revealed that EL19 was capable of accumulating 30.62% and 19.63% of 3-HHx from naphthalene and anthracene, respectively, resulting in significant degradation of 98% and 96% of naphthalene and anthracene, respectively, within seven days. Moreover, the highly expressed phaC gene verified the genetic basis of $PHA_{mcl}$ production under nitrogen starvation conditions. Thus, this study strongly supports the hypothesis that lichen-associated bacteria can detoxify naphthalene and anthracene, store energy for extreme conditions, and probably help the associated lichen to live in extreme conditions. So far, this is the first investigation of lichen-associated bacteria that might utilize harmful toxins as feasible supplements and convert anthracene and naphthalene into eco-friendly 3-HHx. Implementation of the developed method would reduce the production cost of $PHA_{mcl}$ while removing harmful waste products from the environment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.749-760
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• 2022

α-Galactosidase is a debranching enzyme widely used in the food, feed, paper, and pharmaceuticals industries and plays an important role in hemicellulose degradation. Here, T26, an aerobic bacterial strain with thermostable α-galactosidase activity, was isolated from laboratory-preserved lignocellulolytic microbial consortium TMC7, and identified as Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius. The α-galactosidase, called T26GAL and derived from the T26 culture supernatant, exhibited a maximum enzyme activity of 0.4976 IU/ml when cultured at 60℃ and 180 rpm for 2 days. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the α-galactosidase T26GAL belongs to the GH36 family. Subsequently, the pET-26 vector was used for the heterologous expression of the T26 α-galactosidase gene in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The optimum pH for α-galactosidase T26GAL was determined to be 8.0, while the optimum temperature was 60℃. In addition, T26GAL demonstrated a remarkable thermostability with more than 93% enzyme activity, even at a high temperature of 90℃. Furthermore, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ promoted the activity of T26GAL while Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ inhibited it. The substrate specificity studies revealed that T26GAL efficiently degraded raffinose, stachyose, and guar gum, but not locust bean gum. This study thus facilitated the discovery of an effective heat-resistant α-galactosidase with potent industrial application. Meanwhile, as part of our research on lignocellulose degradation by a microbial consortium, the present work provides an important basis for encouraging further investigation into this enzyme complex.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.167-178
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• 2023

Large amounts of waste and wastewater from aquaculture have negatively impacted ecosystems. Among them, shrimp aquaculture wastewater contains large amounts of nitrogen contaminants derived from feed residues in an aerobic environment. This study isolated candidate strains from adult rockworms to treat shrimp aquaculture wastewater (SAW) in an aerobic environment. Among 87 strains isolated, 25 grew well at the same temperature as the shrimp aquaculture with excellent polymer degradation ability (>0.5 cm clear zone). Six isolates (strains AL1, AL4, AL5, AL6, LA10, and PR15) were finally selected after combining strains with excellent polymer degradation ability without antagonism. 16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that strains AL1, AL4, AL5, AL6, LA10, and PR15 were closely related to Bacillus paramycoides, Bacillus pumilus, Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, Bacillus paranthracis, Bacillus paranthracis, and Micrococcus luteus, respectively. When these six isolates were applied to SAW, they reached a maximum cell viability of 2.06×10⁵ CFU mL^-1. Their chemical oxygen demand (COD_Cr) and total nitrogen(TN) removal rates for 12h were 51.0% and 44.6%, respectively, when the COD_Cr/TN ratio was approximately 10.0. Considering these removal rates achieved in this study under batch conditions, these six isolates could be used for aerobic denitrification. Consequently, these six isolates from rockworms are good candidates that can be applied to the field of aquaculture wastewater treatment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.644-651
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• 2013

The fermented manure derivative known as Preparation 500 is traditionally used as a field spray in biodynamic agriculture for maintaining and increasing soil fertility. This work aimed at characterizing the product from a microbiological standpoint and at assaying its bioactive properties. The approach involved molecular taxonomical characterization of the culturable microbial community; ARISA fingerprints of the total bacteria and fungal communities; chemical elemental macronutrient analysis via a combustion analyzer; activity assays for six key enzymes; bioassays for bacterial quorum sensing and chitolipooligosaccharide production; and plant hormone-like activity. The material was found to harbor a bacterial community of $2.38{\times}10^8$ CFU/g dw dominated by Gram-positives with minor instances of Actinobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. ARISA showed a coherence of bacterial assemblages in different preparation lots of the same year in spite of geographic origin. Enzymatic activities showed elevated values of ${\beta}$-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, chitinase, and esterase. The preparation had no quorum sensing-detectable signal, and no rhizobial nod gene-inducing properties, but displayed a strong auxin-like effect on plants. Enzymatic analyses indicated a bioactive potential in the fertility and nutrient cycling contexts. The IAA activity and microbial degradation products qualify for a possible activity as soil biostimulants. Quantitative details and possible modes of action are discussed.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.223-229
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• 2013

Because colostrum is considered to be the sole source of passively acquired maternal antibodies for calves, newborn calves must consume colostrum to gain disease resistance during their early years of life. Storage of surplus colostrum from dairy cows right after calving and feeding newborn calves in deficiency of colostrum to assure adequate uptake of IgG for protection of the calf has been a common practice in the bovine production. In the current study, 35 colostrums were randomly collected from 3 colostrum banks located in different regions of Korea and monitored for general bacterial contamination and major bovine pathogens. Immunoglobulin concentrations and BVDV-specific antibodies were also determined to evaluate the immune quality of the colostrums. Moderate to severe bacterial contamination (up to 72,000,000 CFU/ml) was observed in most of the colostrums collected from colostrum banks. General immune quality of the colostrums was under the satisfactory level since most of the colostrums contained less than 50 g/L of IgG, which is the minimum concentration for good quality colostrums. Therefore, colostrum for colostrum bank should be collected at the first 2-3 post-partum milkings according to proper harvesting and handling procedures to guarantee the safety and quality of colostrum. In addition, it was recommended that colostrum should be heat-treated before frozen and stored in the bank because pasteurization at $63^{\circ}C$ for 30 min was very effective reducing the risk of disease transmission without causing significant degradation of immunoglobulins.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.383-390
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• 1992

In the periods of July 31 to August 10. 1988 and March 9 to 13. 1989. sediment samples were collected from the South Sea stations (010] to 092]) located in the area from $N 32^{\circ}$/30' to $34^{\circ}$/30', of latitude and from E $123^{\circ}$ 30' to $128^{\circ}$30' of longitude. These samples were analyzed for the number of total heterotrophic bacteria and extracellular digesting enzyme activities. In the 1989 spring period the number of heterotrophic bacteria in the sediment surface layer was increased more than 100 times at the maximum compared to that in the 1988 summer period. The proportion of fresh water bacteria to total heterotrophic bacteria was also higher in the spring period than the summer period. The extracellular digesting enzyme activities were higher in spring season than summer. Although the water content of sediment in the spring period was lower than that the summer period. the ash weight indicating organic material content was higher. These results means that the diameters of sediment particles were larger in spring than summer but the input of organic material into the sediment was greater. Based on these results bacterial distributions in the sediment layer of South Sea depend greatly on the season due to the effect of fresh water. During the spring season plankton could grow extensively owing to the inorganic nutrients input by the vertical mixing in the water column, then be precipitated into the sediment. Organic nutrients supplied from enzymatic degradation of polymeric particle from plankton can increase the bacterial number, too.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.167-172
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• 1996

The bacterial strain P2 degrading polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was isolated from the soil around the Shinchun stream in Taegu after enrichment culture in a media containing biphenyl as the sole carbon source. The isolate was identified as a strain of Pseudomonas sp. based on its morphological and physiological characteristics. The optimal conditions of initial pH of media and temperature for growth were 7.0 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. Degradation of biphenyl and PCBs was confirmed by GC during the culture of Pseudomonas sp. P2 in a media containing them at a concentration of 500 mg/I. It was observed that Pseudomonas sp. P2 could degrade 97.0$%$ of biphenyl and 60.0$%$ of PCBs after 160 h culture.