• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1726-1736
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• 2013

Biosynthesis of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) via the indole-3-pyruvic acid pathway involves three kinds of enzymes; aminotransferase encoded by aspC, indole-3-pyruvic acid decarboxylase encoded by ipdC, and indole-3-acetic acid dehydrogenase encoded by iad1. The ipdC from Enterobacter cloacae ATCC 13047, aspC from Escherichia coli, and iad1 from Ustilago maydis were cloned and expressed under the control of the tac and sod promoters in E. coli. According to SDS-PAGE and enzyme activity, IpdC and Iad1 showed good expression under the control of $P_{tac}$, whereas AspC was efficiently expressed by $P_{sod}$ originating from Corynebacterium glutamicum. The activities of IpdC, AspC, and Iad1 from the crude extracts of recombinant E. coli Top 10 were 215.6, 5.7, and 272.1 nmol/min/mg-protein, respectively. The recombinant E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$ expressing IpdC, AspC, and Iad1 produced about 1.1 g/l of IAA and 0.13 g/l of tryptophol (TOL) after 48 h of cultivation in LB medium with 2 g/l tryptophan. To improve IAA production, a tnaA gene mediating indole formation from tryptophan was deleted. As a result, E. coli IAA68 with expression of the three genes produced 1.8 g/l of IAA, which is a 1.6-fold increase compared with wild-type $DH5{\alpha}$ harboring the same plasmids. Moreover, the complete conversion of tryptophan to IAA was achieved by E. coli IAA68. Finally, E. coli IAA68 produced 3.0 g/l of IAA after 24 h cultivation in LB medium supplemented with 4 g/l of tryptophan.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.335-340
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was performed to develop a lateral flow strip sensor for the detection of pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in various samples. Also, feasibility of using an image analysis method to improve the interpretation of the strip sensor was evaluated. Methods: The lateral flow strip sensor has been fabricated based on nitrocellulose lateral-flow membrane. Colloidal gold and E. coli O157:H7 antibodies were used as a tag and a receptor, respectively. Manually spotted E. coli O157:H7 antibody and anti-mouse antibody on nitrocellulose membrane were used as test and control dots, respectively. Feasibility of the lateral flow strip sensor to detect E. coli O157:H7 were evaluated with serially diluted E. coli O157:H7 cells in PBS or food samples. Test results of the lateral flow strip sensor were measured with an image analysis method. Results: The intensity of the test dot started to increase with higher concentration of the cells were introduced. The sensitivities of the sensor were both $10^4$ CFU/mL Escherichia coli O157:H7 spiked in PBS and in chicken meat extract, respectively. Conclusions: The lateral flow strip sensor and image analysis method could detect E. coli O157:H7 in 20 min, which is significantly quicker than conventional plate counting method.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.43-47
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• 2013

This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of ESBL genes and monitor antimicrobial resistance pattern in Escherichia coli, isolated from a hospital and a community. We tested 200 E. coli strains isolated in the hospitals and community in Chungcheong area from January to March 2012. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested by using the disk diffusion method. A search for ESBL genes was conducted by PCR amplification, and the genotypes were determined by direct nucleotide sequence analysis of the amplified products. An Epidemiologic study was performed by repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR (REP-PCR). The percentage of ESBL-producing isolates was 17% for hospital associated E. coli and 11% for community associated E. coli. The ESBL gene sequencing results showed that the most common ESBL in E. coli was CTX-M-14 (19/28), followed by CTX-M-15 (9/28). The REP-PCR study also showed the genetic diversity, but there was no difference between the hospital and community associated E. coli. In this study, the most common types of class A ESBLs identified were CTX-M in the hospital and the community in Chungcheong area. ESBL-producing E. coli isolates showed diverse clonality.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1177-1183
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• 2019

Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is a safe and effective preservative that is used widely in the food industry. However, there are few studies addressing the anti-biofilm effect of GSE. In this study, the anti-biofilm effect of GSE was investigated against biofilm-forming strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The GSE minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for S. aureus and E. coli were $25{\mu}g/ml$ and $250{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. To investigate biofilm inhibition and degradation effect, crystal violet assay and stainless steel were used. Biofilm formation rates of four strains (S. aureus 7, S. aureus 8, E. coli ATCC 25922, and E. coli O157:H4 FRIK 125) were 55.8%, 70.2%, 55.4%, and 20.6% at $1/2{\times}MIC$ of GSE, respectively. The degradation effect of GSE on biofilms attached to stainless steel coupons was observed (${\geq}1$ log CFU/coupon) after exposure to concentrations above the MIC for all strains and $1/2{\times}MIC$ for S. aureus 7. In addition, the specific mechanisms of this anti-biofilm effect were investigated by evaluating hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production rate, and motility. Significant changes in EPS production rate and motility were observed in both S. aureus and E. coli in the presence of GSE, while changes in hydrophobicity were observed only in E. coli. No relationship was seen between auto-aggregation and biofilm formation. Therefore, our results suggest that GSE might be used as an anti-biofilm agent that is effective against S. aureus and E. coli.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.417-425
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• 2023

Because an irradiation of 405 nm violet light could have a strong energy, it was used to be sterilized against various microbes in the indoor air condition or fresh food. Escherichia coli is a representative bio-pollutant in the indoor air-borne bacteria, and a hygienic microbe in the horticultural food. This study evaluated the inactivation influences on E. coli DS5α after exposure to 405 nm violet-light (VL) by investigating irradiating time, and the vertical and horizonal distance from light source. The illumination of 405 nm VL was inversely proportional to the distance from the VL source. E. coli DS5α on nutrient agar (NA) was inactivated approximately 50% more than the control when irradiated at 65 cm from 405 nm VL for 3 hours. When compared to the control, E. coli DS5α was inactivated approximately 50% within 70 cm from 405 nm VL for 3 hours. As it was irradiated for 3 hours 70 cm away from 405 nm VL, the horizonal distance from the point was negatively correlated to the inactivation of E. coli DS5α. These results indicated that the inactivation of E. coli DS5α grown on NA medium needs to be irradiated with 405 nm within 70 cm from the light source for 3 hours.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.97-100
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• 2006

To determine whether the tetracycline resistance genes tet (34), tet (M), and tet (S) can be transferred among bacteria, we used a filter mating experiment allowing intimate cell-cell contact between donor and recipient. The tet(34) gene, conveyed on a chromosome of Vibrio species (No. 6 and SW-42) was not transferred to Escherichia coli JM109, suggesting that it is not transferred among bacterial species. The tet (M) gene was transferred from three Vibrio strains (4-E, SW-18, and SW-38) to E. coli at frequencies of $8.5{\times}10^{-5}\;to\;2.1{\times}10^{-6}$. The tet(S) gene was transferred from Lactococcus garvieae KHS98032 to E. coli at a frequency of $1.8{\times}10^{-6}$. Transconjugated recipients showed increased minimum inhibitory concentrations against oxytetracycline. Although the donors possess the Tn916-Tn1545 transposons, they were not detected in transformed recipients, suggesting that the transfer of tet(M) and tet(S) is mediated by elements or mechanisms. Two ribosomal protect protein genes were also transmissible from marine bacteria to E. coli, suggesting gene hopping among marine, terrestrial, and human environments.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.780-786
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• 2002

An immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with a self-assembled protein G layer was developed for the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7. A self-assembled protein C layer on a gold (Au) surface was fabricated by adsorbing the mixture of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and hexanethiol at various molar ratios and by activating chemical binding between free amine (-$NH_2$) of protein G and 11-(MUA) using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC) in series. The formation of a self-assembled protein G layer on an Au substrate and the binding of the antibody and antigen in series were confirmed by SPR spectroscopy. The surface morphology analyses of the self-assembled protein G layer on the Au substrate, monoclonal antibody (Mab) against E. coli O157:H7 which was immobilized on protein G, and bound E. coli O157:H7 extracts on Immobilized Mab against E. coii O157:H7 were performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The detection limit of the SPR-based immunosensor for E. coli O157:H7 was found to be about $10^4$ cells/ml.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia (E.) coli isolated from ducks in Korea. A total of 400 cecal content samples were collected from 40 duck farms in Korea. Isolated Salmonella spp. and E. coli strains were 83 and 364 of the 400 cecal samples, respectively. The most prevalent serotype among the 83 Salmonella isolates was Salmonella Typhimurium (51 isolates: 61.45%). Resistance to the tested antimicrobial agents by Salmonella isolates was low except for erythromycin, while the resistance of the E. coli isolates to the other tested antimicrobial agents was high and 90.9% (331/364) of E. coli isolates showed multi-antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance in duck zoonotic pathogens should be of concern to the Korean duck industry, as these pathogens exhibit a high rate of antimicrobial resistance and pose a potential hazard to public health.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.973-979
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• 2023

Lycopene is a carotenoid widely used as a food and feed supplement due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer functions. Various metabolic engineering strategies have been implemented for high lycopene production in Escherichia coli, and for this purpose it was essential to select and develop an E. coli strain with the highest potency. In this study, we evaluated 16 E. coli strains to determine the best lycopene production host by introducing a lycopene biosynthetic pathway (crtE, crtB, and crtI genes cloned from Deinococcus wulumuqiensis R12 and dxs, dxr, ispA, and idi genes cloned from E. coli). The 16 lycopene strain titers diverged from 0 to 0.141 g/l, with MG1655 demonstrating the highest titer (0.141 g/l), while the SURE and W strains expressed the lowest (0 g/l) in an LB medium. When a 2 × YTg medium replaced the MG1655 culture medium, the titer further escalated to 1.595 g/l. These results substantiate that strain selection is vital in metabolic engineering, and further, that MG1655 is a potent host for producing lycopene and other carotenoids with the same lycopene biosynthetic pathway.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.539-545
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• 1992

Recombinant plasmid pPLac15 determined both phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase uptake of lactose and phospho-$\beta$-galactosidase (Moon et al., 1989). A restriction mapping of the pPLac15 was compiled with several restriction enzymes and a seriese of sub clones into pUC18 was constructed. From an analysis of the proteins produced by Escherichia coli cells of transformants containing each of the recombinant subclone plasmids, it was found that the gene for phospho-$\beta$-galactosidase in pUCI8 was expressed about 1.8-folds in E. coli.