• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.174-179
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• 1991

Protoplast fusion was carried out between Brevibacterium flavum and Corynebacterium glutamicum. For the protoplast fusion, various mutants were isolated from Brevibacterium flavum ATCC 21493 and Corynebacteriurn glutamicum ATCC 21831. The optimum conditions for protoplast fusion of these mutants were examined. In the present work, the authors obtained a fusant, MWF 9031, by the intergeneric protoplast fusion between Brevibacterium flavum 108-125 and Corynebacterium glutamicum 41-214A, which was excellent in L-arginine fermentation. Fusant MWF 9031 was found to accumulate a large amount of L-arginine reached 32.5 mg/ml with a medium containing 10% glucose. The fusant possessed intermediate characteristics between the parental strains and the stability was found to retain for 60 days.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.225-229
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• 2005

To investigate impediments to plasmid transformation in Brevibacterium flavum BF4 and B. lactofermentum BL1, cell surface barriers were determined by measuring growth inhibition whilst enzymatic barriers were determined by comparing DNA methylation properties. B. lactofermentum was more sensitive to growth inhibition by glycine than B. flavum. Release of cellular proteins during sonication was more rapid for B. lactofermentum than for B. flavum. Plasmid DNA (pCSL 17) isolated from B. flavum transformed recipient $McrBC^+$ strains of Escherichia coli with lower efficiency than $McrBC^-$. McrBC digestion of this DNA confirmed that B. flavum contain methylated cytidines in the target sequence of McrBc sequences but B. lactofermentum contained a different methylation pattern. DNA derived from the B. lactofermentum transformed recipient $EcoKR^+$ strains of E. coli with lower efficiency than $EcoKR^-$, indicating the presence of methylated adenosines in the target sequence of EcoK sequences. The present data describe the differences in the physical and enzymatic barriers between two species of corynebacteria and also provide some insight into the successful foreign gene expression in corynebacteria.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.387-392
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• 1998

Brevibacterium lactofermentum, a gram-positive bacteria, has both the diaminopimelate (DAP) pathway and meso-DAP-dehydrogenase (DDH) pathway for L-lysine biosynthesis. To investigate importance of DDH pathway and the related ddh gene in lysine production, we introduced site-specific mutagenesis technique. A 300 bp DNA fragment central to the meso-DAP-dehydrogenase gene (ddh) of B. lactofermentum was used to inactive chromosomal ddh gene via homologous recombination. Southern hybridization analysis confirmed that the chromosomal ddh gene was disrupted by the vector sequence. The B. lactofementum ddh mutant obtained have an inactive DDH pathway. The results reveal that inactivation of the ddh gene in B. lactofermentum leads to dramatic reduction of lysine production as well as decrease of the growth rate, indicating that the DDH pathway is essential for high-level lysine production as well as biosynthesis of meso-DAP.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.164-169
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• 1995

An endogenous cryptic plasmid, pBL1, which has been used to construct plasmid vectors for coryneform bacteria producing amino acids, was eliminated from Brevibacterium lactofermentum. The pBL1 was partially digested with Sau3AI and the resulting DNA fragments were subcloned into a suicide vector pEM1 which contains a kanamycin-resistant (km$^{r}$) gene. KM$^{r}$ B. lactofermentum transconjugants were obtained by conjugal transfer of the pEM1 derivatives containing pBL1 DNA fragments from Escherichia coli into B. lactofermentum. A km$^{r}$ transconjugant was analyzed to contain a plasmid pEB14, which occurred in vivo by homologous recombination between pBL1 and the conjugal-transferred plasmid. The pEB14 including the pEM1-derived km$^{r}$ gene was found to be lost concomitantly with km$^{r}$ phenotype, resulting in the construction of a pBL1-free strain of B lactofermentum. Based on transformation efficiencies and plasmid stability, the resultant pBL1- free strain is more useful than wild strain as a host cell for genetic manipulation. It could be concluded that foreign plasmid DNAs are efficiently isolated and analyzed from the pBL1-free strain because of the absence of endogenous pBL1 plasmid.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.158-168
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• 1993

For the conversion of WAD to NADP, Immobilized Brevibacterium ammoniagenes cells with NAD kinase was coupled with ATP-generating system by acetate kinase. The membrane permeability of B. ammoniagenes was improved by toluene treatment of cells. The toluene treated B. ammoniagenes cells were immobilized for stable enzyme activity. Partially purified acetate kinase was used in the reaction system. The optimum conditions for the efficient conversion of UAD to WADP by energy-coupled system were investigated. B. ammoniagenes cells treated with toluene for the Improvement of membrane permeability showed 4.5 fold improved permeability in the conversion of NAD to NADP compared with Intact cells. 3% k-carrageenan as the immobilization matrix of B. ammoniagenes showed the best efficiency for the conversion of NAD to NADP The optimum conditions for the WAR to WARP conversion reaction coupled nth ATP-generating system were 10mM acetylphosphate, 5mM ADP 200mM inorganic phosphate, 10mM MgCl2, 250mg/ml Immobilized cells, 49.3mUnit/ml acetate kinase, pH 7.5 and 37$^{\circ}C$. Under the optimum conditions, 72% of 5mM(340mg/ml ) NAD was converted to UADP In 12 hours.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.365-371
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• 1989

Microbiological conversion of sterols to 17-ketosteroids has been recognized as a source for commercial preparation of steroidal drugs. In order to develop bacterial strains and process with Brevibacterium lipolyticum IAM 1398 capable of converting cholesterol to 1,4-Androstadiene-3,17-dione (ADD) at about 27% yield, we studied on strain improvement, fermentation condition and whole cell immobilization. By using UV and/or NTG as mutagens, a mutant to convert cholesterol to ADD with higher yield than 60% was selected. Better production of ADD was manifested in the case of maltose used as a supplemental carbon source, and yeast extract or soytone as a nitrogen source. Addition of tween 80 (0.05%) as a surfactant beneficial for increasing the productivity. The optimal initial pH of the medium was 6.5 and optimal culture temperature was $30^{\circ}C$. Whole cell immobilization by using carrageenan, agar, alginate and acrylamide was carried out and the activity of conversion was tested. In the case of carrageenan and agar, immobilized cells were active for at least two cycles of fermentation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.147-151
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• 2000

School of Food Biotechnology, W0050ng University, San 7-6, Jayang~dong. Dong-ku1 Taejon 300-100, Korea - The nucleotide sequence of approximately 2.4 kb immediately adjacent to ptsG gene coding for the glucose permease of Brevibacterium ammoniagenes was detennined. A putative open reading frame (ORP) of 1.467 nucleotides encoding a polypeptide of 489 amino acid residues and a TAA stop codon was identified. The deduced amino acid sequence of the ORF product has a high homology with the 30S ribosomal protein S 1 of Mycohacteriwn tuberculosis (83 % ). M leprae (74%), Streptomyces coelicola (77%), and Escherichia coli (40%). suggesting that the predicted product of ORF is a ribosomal protein S 1. The ORF is located at a distance of 266 nucleotides upstream from ptsC gene with a same translational direction.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.136-141
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• 1991

Optimum culture conditions for the formation of nitrile hydratase by Brevibacterium sp. CH2 were investigated. Addition of ferric and ferrous ions greatly increased the nitrile hydratase formation. The effects of nitriles, amides, and acids as an inducer on the formation of nitrile hydratase were investigated. Isobutyramide was the best inducer among the tested compounds. When Brevibacterium sp. CH2 was cultivated for 23 h at $30^{\circ}C$ in a optimized medium containing 15 g of glucose, 5 g of bacto peptone, 3 g of yeast extract, 3 g of malt extract, 1 g of $KH_2$$PO_4$, 1 g of $K_2$$HPO_4$, 1 g of NaCl, 0.5 g of isobutyramide, 0.2 g of MgSO$_4$ㆍ7$H_2O$, and 0.02g of $FeSO_4$ㆍ$7H_2$O per liter of distilled water with pH controlled at 7.1, the maximum total activity was 665 units/ml of the culture broth and the specific activity was 70 units/mg of the dry cells. The medium optimization increased the specific activity of Brevibacterium sp. CH2 2.2 times.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 1996

Effects of yeast extract and ammonium sulfate were investigated on the production of L-or-nithine by an arginine auxotroph, Brevibacterium ketoglutamicum in flask and batch cultures. Yeast extract as an arginine source and ammonium sulfate as an inorganic nitrogen source had significant effects on L-ornithine production and cell growth. L-ornithine production was repressed by the excessive addition of arginine. Reversion of auxotrophic cells to the wild type was observed when the initial yeast extract concenfration was too low. There existed optimum concentrations of yeast extract and ammonium sulfate for L-or-nithine production. The effects of yeast extract and ammonium sulfate concentrations of the Leudeking-Piret model parameters were examined to analyze the relationship between cell growth and L-ornithine production.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 1988

In order to understand the regulation of glutamate dehydrogenase(GDH) synthesis in Brevibacterium flavum, we have isolated a mutant lacking NADP-linked GDH activity by ethlmethane sulfonate treatment. The $gdh^-$ mutant was grown on the minimal plate with 1mM ammonium chloride and not that with 300mM ammonium chloride. The cell-free extracts from $gdh^-$ mutant and prototroph were also examined with glutamine synthetase(GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) production by niteogen sources. The growth of $gdh^-$ mutant in presence of 20mM ammonium chloride means that GOGAT synthesis is sufficient to allow growth in this condition. GS production of $gdh^-$ mutant as well as parental strain was induced by 1mM urea and ammonium tartrate, but it was repressed by higher concentration of ammonia, and also induced by 20mM to 50mM glutamate as a substrate. It was special attention that GOGAT synthesis from $gdh^-$ strain was more repressed by higher concentration of ammonia than prototroph as described in E. coli system.