• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.473-486
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• 2019

In the aquatic environment, microorganisms are predominantly organized as biofilms. Biofilms are formed by the aggregation of microbial cells and are surrounded by a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by the microbial cells. Biofilms are attached to various surfaces, such as the living tissues, indwelling medical devices, and piping of the industrial potable water system. Biofilms formed from a single species has been extensively studied. However, there is an increased research focus on multispecies biofilms in recent years. It is important to assess the microbial mechanisms underlying the regulation of multispecies biofilm formation to determine the drinking water microbial composition. These mechanisms contribute to the predominance of the best-adapted species in an aquatic environment. This review focuses on the interactions in the multispecies biofilms, such as coaggregation, co-metabolism, cross-species protection, jamming of quorum sensing, lateral gene transfer, synergism, and antagonism. Further, this review explores the dynamics and the factors favoring biofilm formation and pathogen transmission within the drinking water distribution systems. The understanding of the physiology and biodiversity of microbial species in the biofilm may aid in the development of novel biofilm control and drinking water disinfection processes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.382-388
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• 2002

In order to assess the effects of organic fertilizer on soil microbial community structure and diversity in the greenhouse fields, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was analyzed by the MIDI (Microbial ID, Inc., Newark, DE, U.S.A.) system and enumerations were performed. In relation to bacterial division of each sample, low GC Gram-positive bacteria were predominant among bacteria cultured on aerobic bacteria media. On the other hand, alpha subdivision was predominant on proteobacteria of control and OM (organic matter) 1 treated plot, and Flavobacterium spp. existed in OM2 plot on crystal violet media of all samples. Shannon-weaver Index (H) of OM1 plot varied most by 1.9 and 5.0 among bacteria cultured on aerobic bacteria media and crystal violet media, respectively. Our results revealed that addition of the organic wastes to soil led to a highly diverse microbial community, but the excessive amounts of organic and mineral fertilizer applied in the greenhouse fields produced excess nutrients in soil and led to simplification on bacterial populations.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.522-525
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• 2002

A very rapid and efficient separation technique for cellular rhizobial cyclosophoraoses was developed based on fractional precipitation and partition chromatography. Cyclosophoraoses are known to function in the osmotic regulation and root nodule formation of legumes during the nitrogen fixation process. Cyclosophoraoses are produced as unbranched cyclic (1longrightarrow12)-${\beta}$-D-glucans in Agrobacterium or Rhizobium species. Recent research has shown that cyclosophoraoses can form inclusion complexation with various unstable or insoluble guest chemicals, thereby implying great potential for industrial application. Typical separation of pure cellular cyclosophoraoses has been so far carried out by several time-consuming steps, including size exclusion, anion exchange, and desalting liquid chromatographies, with a relatively poor recovery. However, the proposed method demonstrated that the successive application of fractional ethanol precipitation and one step of silica gel-based flash column chromatography was enough to simultaneously purify neutral or anionic forms of cyclosophoraoses. This novel technique is very rapid and provides a high recovery.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권11호
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• pp.1928-1935
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• 2015

Microbial growth kinetics is often used to optimize environmental processes owing to its relation to the breakdown of substrate (contaminants). However, the quantification of bacterial populations in the environment is difficult owing to the challenges of monitoring a specific bacterial population within a diverse microbial community. Conventional methods are unable to detect and quantify the growth of individual strains separately in the mixed culture reactor. This work describes a novel quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based genomic approach to quantify each species in mixed culture and interpret its growth kinetics in the mixed system. Batch experiments were performed for both single and dual cultures of Pseudomonas putida and Escherichia coli K12 to obtain Monod kinetic parameters (μ_max and K_s). The growth curves and kinetics obtained by conventional methods (i.e., dry weight measurement and absorbance reading) were compared with that obtained by qPCR assay. We anticipate that the adoption of this qPCR-based genomic assay can contribute significantly to traditional microbial kinetics, modeling practice, and the operation of bioreactors, where handling of complex mixed cultures is required.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.463-468
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• 2001

Cyclosophoraoses are a class of unbranced cyclic-(1longrightarrow2)-${\beta}$-D-glucans found in the Rhizobium species. Their unique cyclic structures and high solubility make them potent for inclusion complexation as a host for an insoluble guest molecule. A family of neutral cyclosophoraoses (DP 17-27) isolated from Rhizobium meliloti 2011 was used as a host for inclusion complexation with an insoluble guest drug, indomethacin. A high performance liquid chromatographic analysis indicated that the inclusion complexation of cyclosophoraoses greatly ehanced the solubility of indomethacin compared with ${\beta}$-cyclodextrin. The estimated value of the association constant of the complex in water for $\beta$-cyclodextrin and cyclosophoraoses was $523M^{-1} and 17,570M^{-1}$, respectively. NMR spectroscopy showed that the inclusion complex was characterized by the interaction of the indole ring moiety of indomethacin with the cavity of cyclosophoraoses.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제5권5호
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• pp.280-284
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• 1995

Aspergi11us niger F-580, a potent producer of aminopeptidase M inhibitor, was isolated from the brown spots of plant leaves with a pathological trait. The inhibitory activity was found only in the fungal mat formed by surface culture of Aspergi11us niger F-580, but not in the culture supernatant or cell pellet. The inhibitor was purified from the hot water extract of this fungal mat by using chromatographies on Diaion HP-20, DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex G-l0 and YMC-ODS-AQ columns. The purified inhibitor was analyzed by UV, mass, and NMR spectroscopies, and identified as OF494911, which had been isolated as an aminopeptidase B inhibitor from Penicillium rugulosum OF4949

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.363-369
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different sanitizers and contact times on storage quality and microbial growth in fresh-cut broccoli. Fresh broccoli samples were cut into small pieces, washed each for 90 s and 180 s in normal tap water (TW), $100\;{\mu}/l$ chlorinated water (CL, pH 7), electrolyzed water (EW, pH 7.2) containing $100\;{\mu}/l$ free chlorine, or $2\;{\mu}/l$ ozonated water ($O_3$). Then, samples were packaged in 30-${\mu}m$ polyethylene bags and stored at $5^{\circ}C$ for 9 days. No significant differences were observed in gas composition and color parameters ($L^*$, $a^*$, $b^*$, and hue angle) among different sanitizers with contact times. No off-odor was detected during the storage. A longer contact time was not effective in reducing microbial population, except with $O_3$ washing. $O_3$ with 90 s was not much effective in reducing microbial population compared with Cl or EW. However, samples washed with $O_3$ for 180 s observed the lowest numbers of total aerobic and coliform plate counts. The result suggested that, a longer contact time of ozone can be used as a potential sanitizer to maintain the microbial quality and safety of fresh-cut broccoli.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.153-158
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• 2000

Vancomycin belongs to the vancomycin-risocetin family of glycopeptides, and is a subclass of linear sugar containg peptides composed of seven amino acids. Its strochemical configuration forms the basic of a peptidoglycon monomer. The glycosylated hexapeptide chainconsists of chloro-$\beta$-hydroxytyrosines, p-hytidoglycines, N-anthylleucine and aspartic acid forms a rigid molecular frame work and gives the difficulty in the analysis. Voncomycin in the serum samples is usually estimated by liquid chromatography and the bacterial sensitivity was genereally tested by the microbiological assay. The pressent review deals with the qualitative, quantutative, microbioligical and immunological assays and the comparison of the quantitative methods. Clinical implications of vancomycin have also been cited in the review.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.324-329
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• 2004

Oxygen diffuses through the cation-specific membrane, reducing the coulomb yield of the fuel cell. In the present study, attempts were made to enhance current generation from the fuel cell by lowering the oxygen diffusion, including the uses of ferricyanide as a cathode mediator and of a platinum-coated graphite electrode. Ferricyanide did not act as a mediator as expected, but as an oxidant in the cathode compartment of the microbial fuel cell. The microbial fuel cell with platinum-coated graphite cathode generated a maximum current 3-4 times higher than the control fuel cell with graphite cathode, and the critical oxygen concentration of the former was 2.0 mg $1^{-1}$, whilst that of the latter was 6.6 mg $1^{-1}$. Based on these results, it was concluded that inexpensive electrodes are adequate for the construction of an economically feasible microbial fuel cell with better performance as a novel wastewater treatment process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.158-162
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• 1995

The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources on the production of novel aminopeptidase M inhibitors MR-387A and B by Streptomyces sp. SL-387 has been studied. High D-glucose and ammonia concentrations (5$\%$ and 1$\%$, respectively) exerted a negative influence on the inhibitor formation. The suppressive effect of glucose on the inhibitor formation is probably caused by an effect of medium pH rather than that of cyclic AMP. To establish the optimum conditions for inhibitor overproduction, various nitrogen sources and ammonium ion-trapping agents were examined. The use of ammonia slow-releasing nitrogen sources such as soybean meal and fish meal, or ammonium ion-trapping agents such as kaoline, celite, and natural zeolite achieved the enhancement of inhibitor production. These results also indicate that inhibitor formation is affected by ammonium ion repression.