• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
• /
• 1995.04a
• /
• pp.67-67
• /
• 1995

Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT, EC 2.3.1.26) plays an important role in the control of intracellular free cholesterol content via its cholesterol esterifying activity. ACAT inhibitors are expected to be effective for treatment of atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia. In the course of a screening program for ACAT inhibitors from microbial sources, GERI-BP001 M, A, and B were isolated from the fermentation broth of a fungal strain. GERI-BP001 compounds were isolated from a culture broth of Aspergillus fumigatus F37 by acetone extraction, EtOAc extraction, SiO$_2$ column chromatography, and reverse phase HPLC. The structure of GERI-BP001 coumpounds were determined by $^1$H-NMR, $\^$l3/C-NMR, 2D-NMR, NOESY, and long range C-H COSY experiments. GERI-BP001 M, A, and B inhibit ACAT activity in an enzyme assay system using rat liver microsomes by 50% at concentrations of 75, 147, and 71 ${\mu}$M, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2008.05a
• /
• pp.135-135
• /
• 2008

Various biosensors were evaluated for identifying and detecting foodborne pathogens in a rapid and effective manner. First, five strains of Escherichia coli and six strains of Salmonella were identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and a statistical program. For doing this, lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) and outer membrane proteins (OMPs) were extracted from a cell wall of each bacterial strain. As a result, each strain was identifed at the level of 97% for E. coli and 100% for Salmonella. Second, E. coli O157:H7, S. Enteritidis, and Listeria monocytogenes were identified by multiplex PCR products from four specific genes of each bacteria using a capillary electrophoresis (CE). Also, ground beef for E. coli O157:H7, lettuce for S. Enteritidis, and hot dog for L. monocytogenes were used to determine the possibility of detecting pathogens in foods. Foods inoculated with respective pathogen were cultivated for six hours and multiplex PCR products were obtained and assessed. The minimum detection levels of tested bacteria were <10 cells/g, <10 cells/g, and $10^4$ cells/g for E. coli O157:H7, S. Enteritidis, and L. monocytogenes, respectively. Third, it was possible to detect S. Typhimurium in a pure culture and lettuce by a bioluminescence-based detection assay using both recombinant bacteriophage P22::luxI and a bioluminescent bioreporter. In addition, bacteriophage T4 was quantitatively monitored using E. coli including luxCDABE genes.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.48-52
• /
• 2007

A new procedure for the concentration of nonoviruses from water samples has been developed. This procedure (calcium flocculation-citrate dissolution method) uses the following steps: virus flocculation formed by treatment with 1 M $CaCl_2$ and 1 M $Na_2HPO_4$, virus release by sodium citrate dissolution (0.3 M Na citrate, pH 3.5), and virus re-concentration by ultrafiltration. When reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was performed after the procedure, the overall detection sensitivity for seeded noroviruses in a one liter drinking water sample was as low as 1 RT-PCR unit, which is equal to a $10^{-6}$ dilution of the virus sample. This approach showed at least a 5-fold-higher sensitivity than the current method with its three steps of adsorption-elution-concentration. The newly developed procedure was used to test different brands of bottled drinking water from China for putative contamination with noroviruses. A total of 144 samples were analyzed; all of the samples were negative for norovirus specific nucleic acids.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.105-111
• /
• 2002

The biological removal of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was studied in a bench-scale bioreactor using a bacterial culture of strain OK-5 originally Isolated from soil samples contaminated with TNT. The TNT was completely removed within 4 days of incubation in a 2.5 L bench-scale bioreactor containing a newly developed medium. The TNT was catabolized in the presence of different supplemented carbons. Only minimal growth was observed in the killed controls and cultures that only received TNT during the incubation period. This catabolism was affected by the concentration ratio of the substrate to the biomass. The addition of various nitrogen sources produced a delayed effect for the TNT degradation. Tween 80 enhanced the degradation of TNT under these conditions. Two metabolic intermediates were detected and identified as 2-amino-4, 6-dinitrotoluene and 4-amino-2, 6-dinitrotoluene based on HPLC and GC-MS analyses, respectively. Strain OK-5 was characterized using the BIOLOG system and fatty acid profile produced by a microbial identification system equipped with a Hewlett Packard HP 5890 II gas chromatograph. As such, the bacterium was identified as a Stenotrophomonas species and designated as Stenotrophomonas sp. OK-5.

• Journal of Species Research
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.339-345
• /
• 2020

The Earth contains billions of microbial species, although the vast majority cannot be cultured in laboratories and are thus considered unidentified and uncharacterized. Extremophiles are microorganisms that thrive in extreme conditions, including temperature, salinity, and pH. Extremophilic microorganisms have provided important insights for biological, metabolic, and evolutionary studies. Between 2017 and 2019, as part of a comprehensive investigation to identify bacterial species in Korea, eight bacterial strains were isolated from marine and non-marine environments in Jeju Island. These strains were cultured under extreme salinity or pH conditions. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA(rRNA) gene sequencing indicated that all eight strains belonged to the phyla Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Alphaproteobacteria. Based on their high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities(>98.7%) and the formation of strong monophyletic clades with their closest related species, all isolated strains were considered as an unrecorded strain, previously unidentified species. Gram stain reaction, culture conditions, colony and cell morphology, biochemical characteristics, isolation source, and National Institute of Biological Resources(NIBR) IDs are described in this article. The characterization of these unrecorded strains provides information on microorganisms living in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.12
• /
• pp.1664-1671
• /
• 2010

A new biosurfactant producer was isolated from palm-oil-contaminated soil and later identified through morphology and DNA sequencing as the yeast-like fungus Exophiala dermatitidis. Biosurfactant production was catalyzed by vegetable oil, supplemented with a basal medium. The culture conditions that provided the biosurfactant with the highest surface activity were found to be 5% palm oil with 0.08% $NH_4NO_3$, at a pH of 5.3, with shaking at 200 rpm, and a temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ for a 14-day period of incubation. The biosurfactant was purified, in accordance with surfactant properties, by solvent fractionation using silica gel column chromatography. The chemical structure of the strongest surface-active compound was elucidated through the use of NMR and mass spectroscopy, and noted to be monoolein, which then went on to demonstrate antiproliferative activity against cervical cancer (HeLa) and leukemia (U937) cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, no cytotoxicity was observed with normal cells even when high concentrations were used. Cell and DNA morphological changes, in both cancer cell lines, were observed to be cell shrinkage, membrane blebbling, and DNA fragmentation.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.196-199
• /
• 2003

We investigated the antagonistic effects of two lactococcal bacteriocins, nisin or lacticin NK24, on the growth and the survival of Listeria monocytogenes in vacuum or modified atmosphere-packaged ground beef, Ground beef was inoculated with approximately 3 log colony-forming units (CFU) of L. monocytogenes ATCC 15313 culture per gram of ground beef. Inoculated samples were blended with/without 100 AU/g nisin or lacticin NK24, and subsequently vacuum or modified atmosphere packed at 4$^{\circ}C$. Listeria in the bacteriocin-treated and control samples was subsequently isolated from both vacuum and modified atmosphere packs and enumerated as CFU on Listeria Isolation Agar medium. Microbial counts in ground beef treated with bacteriocin declined steadily, while those of non-treated beef samples increased steadily. The results obtained demonstrate that nisin inhibits the growth of L. monocytogenes more effectively than lacticin NK24 at 100 AU/g. The use of lactococcal bacteriocins, such as nisin or lacticin NK24, in vacuum or modified atmosphere packaging offers a promising approach for eliminating or reducing the risk of L monocytogenes contamination in ground beef.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.133-138
• /
• 2001

We investigated the antagonism of indigenous bacteria isolated from stressed mussels and their extracellular metabolites on the adult zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. Selective bacterial isolates including Aeromonas media, A. salmonicida, A. veronii, and Shewanella putrefaciens, showed strong lethality against adult mussels and 100% mortality was observed within 5 days of incubation. Bacterial metabolites, fractionated and concentrated from stationary-phase culture supernatants of these bacterial isolates, displayed varying degrees of antagonistic effects on zebra mussels. Among the three size fractions examined, <5, 5-10, and >10 kDa, the mast lethal fraction seems to be >10 kDa for three of the four isolates tested. Further chemical analyses of these size fractions revealed that the predominant constituents were polysaccharides and proteins. No 2-keto-3-deoxyoctanoic acid (2-KDO), deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) or uranic acid were detectable. Extraction of supernatants of two antagonistic isolates with polar solvent suggested that polar molecules are present in the active fraction. Our data suggest that extracellular metabolites produced by antagonistic bacteria are also involved in disease development in zebra mussels and elucidation of the mechanisms involved may offer a novel strategy for control of biofouling invertebrates.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.90-98
• /
• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a clinical practice nursing students' microbiology program based on the mastery learning model, and to evaluate the effects of the program on nursing students' knowledge, self-efficacy, performance, and satisfaction related to the nursing students' microbiology program. Methods: The program was developed by using the processes of the mastery learning model. The pre-experimental research design involved a one group pretest-posttest design. The setting was a university located in Incheon, Korea. A total of 130 nursing students participated in the program including a theoretical lecture, clinical practice, and formative and summative evaluation. Results: Using the program that was designed and developed, results for the total score of self-efficacy, knowledge, and performance in the post-test application were significantly higher than in the pre-test application (p<.05). The satisfaction of hand hygiene and disinfection/contaminated hand microbial culture and disinfection test received the highest ratings. Conclusion: The application of a clinical practice nursing students' microbiology program was effective, and can be expanded to other nursing students. Future research with other study designs was warranted in order to prove the effect of a microbiology program based on the mastery learning model.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.87-89
• /
• 2017

Apo-transferrin is an iron-binding protein that has been reported to have an antimicrobial effect. It is considered a major component of the host defense mechanism as it limits microbial access to iron. This study was performed to investigate whether bovine apo-transferrin would have an inhibitory effect on the growth of S. pseudintermedius, which is one of the most isolated bacteria from dogs, and to compare the antimicrobial efficacy with bovine holo-transferrin. S. pseudintermedius were grown at $37^{\circ}C$ in 96-well culture plates using Muller Hinton broth containing bovine apo-transferrin or bovine holo-transferrin at concentrations ranging from 0.5 or 2.5 to 5.0 mg/ml. The optical densities of the wells were then measured at 570 nm. In this study, the apo-transferrin showed dose-dependent antimicrobial effect against S. pseudintermedius while holo-transferrin did not inhibit the growth of S. pseudintermedius effectively. The results suggest that iron deprivation is an important pathway for inhibiting bacterial growth and bovine apo-transferrin has great antimicrobial effects against S. pseudintermedius.