• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2014

In order to increase the persistence of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in rhizpsphere soil, the growth of tomato was examined after the application of Arthrobacter woluwensis ED immobilized in alginate bead, which was known as PGPR. When tomato seedlings were treated with A. woluwensis ED of $1{\times}10^6$ cells g $soil^{-1}$ and incubated for 30 days in a plant growth chamber, the shoot length, root length, fresh weight and dry weight of the grown tomato plants treated with the suspended inoculants significantly increased by 36.2, 59, 51.1, and 37.5%, respectively compared to those of the uninoculated control. The treatment of the immobilized bacteria increased those by 42, 67.4, 62.5, and 60.4%, respectively compared to those of the uninoculated control. Therefore, the enhancement of tomato growth by the treatment of the immobilized bacteria was higher than those by the suspended inoculants. The effects of the inoculation on indigenous bacterial community and the fate of the inoculated bacteria were monitored by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. The DNA band intensity of A. woluwensis ED in the tomato rhizosphere treated with the suspended inoculants continuously decreased after the inoculation, but the band intensity in the tomato rhizosphere soils treated with the immobilized inoculants showed the maximum at 1 week after inoculation and the decreasing rate was less than that of the suspended inoculants, which indicated the longer maintenance of the immobilized bacteria at rhizosphere soils. Therefore, encapsulation of PGPR in alginate beads may be more effective than liquid inoculant for the plant growth promotion and survival of PGPR at plant rhizosphere.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2014

Microbiota in the niches of the rhizosphere zones can affect plant growth and responses to environmental stress conditions via mutualistic interactions with host plants. Specifically, some beneficial bacteria, collectively referred to as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPRs), increase plant biomass and innate immunity potential. Here, we report that Enterobacter sp. EJ01, a bacterium isolated from sea china pink (Dianthus japonicus thunb) in reclaimed land of Gyehwa-do in Korea, improved the vegetative growth and alleviated salt stress in tomato and Arabidopsis. EJ01 was capable of producing 1-aminocy-clopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase and also exhibited indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production. The isolate EJ01 conferred increases in fresh weight, dry weight, and plant height of tomato and Arabidopsis under both normal and high salinity conditions. At the molecular level, short-term treatment with EJ01 increased the expression of salt stress responsive genes such as DREB2b, RD29A, RD29B, and RAB18 in Arabidopsis. The expression of proline biosynthetic genes (i.e. P5CS1 and P5CS2) and of genes related to priming processes (i.e. MPK3 and MPK6) were also up-regulated. In addition, reactive oxygen species scavenging activities were enhanced in tomatoes treated with EJ01 in stressed conditions. GFP-tagged EJ01 displayed colonization in the rhizosphere and endosphere in the roots of Arabidopsis. In conclusion, the newly isolated Enterobacter sp. EJ01 is a likely PGPR and alleviates salt stress in host plants through multiple mechanisms, including the rapid up-regulation of conserved plant salt stress responsive signaling pathways.

• Mycobiology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.236-241
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• 2008

The colonization of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices BEG110 in the soil caused a decrease in disease severity in cucumber plants after fungal inoculation with Colletotrichum orbiculare. In order to illustrate the resistance mechanism mediated by G. intraradices BEG110, infection patterns caused by C. orbiculare in the leaves of cucumber plants and the host cellular responses were characterized. These properties were characterized using transmission electron microscopy on the leaves of cucumber plants grown in soil colonized with G. intraradices BEG110. In the untreated plants, inter- and intra-cellular fungal hyphae were observed throughout the leaf tissues during both the biotrophic and necrotrophic phases of infection. The cytoplasm of fungal hyphae appeared intact during the biotrophic phase, suggesting no defense response against the fungus. However, several typical resistance responses were observed in the plants when treated with G. intraradices BEG110 including the formation of sheaths around the intracellular hyphae or a thickening of host cell walls. These observations suggest that the resistance mediated by G. intraradices BEG110 most often occurs in the symplast of the host cells rather than in the apoplast. In addition, this resistance is similar to those mediated by biotic inducers such as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.180-184
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• 2006

Nineteen nitrogen-fixing bacteria were isolated from rice roots cultivated in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. Among them, three isolates - Stenotrophomonas sp. KNUC89, Pseudomonas sp. KNUC116, and Delftia sp. KNUC133 - showed antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum. Besides they could produce auxin and siderophores.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.360-363
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• 2006

Efficacy of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR) Bacillus vallismortis strain EXTN-1 has been proved in eliciting induced systemic resistance(ISR) in several crops. The present paper described the beneficial effects of EXTN-1 in potato as increase in yield and chlorophyll content, and plant protection against Potato Virus Y and X(PVY & PVX). EXTN-1 induced systemic resistance to the plants resulting in significant disease suppression in the field. Also the plants under treatment with EXTN-1 had higher chlorophyll content. The bacterized plants had significantly higher yields over the untreated control plants. The strain induced activation of defense genes, PR-1a and PDF 1.2 in transgenic tobacco model, which indicated the possible role of both SA, and JA pathways in EXTN-1 mediated plant protection against crop diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.416-422
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• 2002

Bacillus ehimensis YJ-37 was observed as a potential biological agent to control the occurrence of diseases and plant growth.promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Population density of B. ehimensis YJ-37 were higher 1.2~2 times in main roots and lateral roots than from nonrhizosphere soil and persisted around 10$^4$g root on the watermelon and radish root system upto 30 days after growing in pot condition. As a PGPR, B. ehimensis YJ-37 enhanced plant growth of watermelon and radish by soil treatment. The leaf area, hypocotyl length, root length and dry weight of radish were about 85, 33, 23 and 89% more than that of untreated plant, respectively. In case of watermelon were about 63, 27, 25 and 69% more than that of untreated plant, respectively. Biocontrol of damping-off in watermelon and radish caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 and Pythium ultimum were carried out in pots using 3. ehimensis YJ-37. The results showed that might contribute to it's suppression of damping-off disease in field plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.106-112
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• 2014

Very few plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known to produce gibberellins (GAs). The current study aimed to isolate a phytohormone-producing PGP rhizobacterium from soil and assess its potential to enhance plant growth. The newly isolated bacterium was identified as Leifsonia soli sp. SE134 on the basis of partial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence. Application of L. soli culture filtrate significantly increased the biomass, hypocotyl, and root lengths of cucumber seeds as compared with non-inoculated sole medium and distilled water treated controls. Furthermore, the PGPR culture was applied to the GA-deficient mutant rice cultivar Waito-C. Treatment with L. soli SE134 significantly increased the growth of Waito-C rice seedlings as compared with controls. Upon chromatographic analysis of L. soli culture, we isolated, detected and quantified different GAs; namely, $GA_1$ ($0.61{\pm}0.15$), $GA_4$ ($1.58{\pm}0.26$), $GA_7$ ($0.54{\pm}0.18$), $GA_8$ ($0.98{\pm}0.15$), $GA_9$ ($0.45{\pm}0.17$), $GA_{12}$ ($0.64{\pm}0.21$), $GA_{19}$ ($0.18{\pm}0.09$), $GA_{20}$ ($0.78{\pm}0.15$), $GA_{24}$ ($0.38{\pm}0.09$), $GA_{34}$ ($0.35{\pm}0.10$), and $GA_{53}$ ($0.17{\pm}0.05$). Plant growth promotion in cucumber, tomato, and young radish plants further evidenced the potential of this strain as a PGP bacterium. The results suggest that GA secretion by L. soli SE134 might prove advantageous for its ameliorative role in crop growth. These findings can be extended for improving the productivity of different crops under diverse environmental conditions.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2018

Chlorella, one single-cell green algae organism that lives autotrophically by photosynthesis, can directly suppress some plant diseases. The objective of this study was to determine whether pre-spraying with Chlorella fusca suspension could induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in cucumber plants against anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare. In order to illustrate SAR induced by algae, infection structures in host cells were observed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Cytological changes as defense responses of host mesophyll cells such as accumulation of vesicles, formation of sheath around penetration hyphae, and thickness of cell wells adjoining with intracellular hyphae were demonstrated in cucumber leaves. Similar defense responses were also found in the plant pre-treated with DL-3-aminobutyric acid, another SAR priming agent. Images showed that defense response of host cells was scarcely observed in untreated leaf tissues. These cytological observations suggest that C. fusca could induce SAR against anthracnose in cucumber plants by activating defense responses of host cells.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.116-120
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• 2009

We found out the new method of the consortium for the environmental friendly agriculture by 8 kinds of the selected antagonistic rhizobacteria. This research involved composition of mutual complementary consortium by each antagonistic function such as production of antibiotic, siderophore, antifungal cellulase and insoluble phosphate solubilization. The consortium No.11 among composed consortium candidates showed the most pepper growth promoting activity and Phytophthora blight suppression on the in vivo pot test of red-pepper plant. The consortium No. 11 is combination of PGPR Bacillus subtilis AH18 and Bacillus licheniformis K11. B. subtilis AH18 and B. licheniformis K11 both could produce the auxin, antifungal ${\beta}$-glucannase and siderophore. Also, they had mechanism for solubilization of insoluble phosphate. But, B. licheniformis K11 could produce the antibiotic of iturin which was able to inhibit Phytophthora capsici. We confirmed complementary noncompetitive mutualism between B. subtilis AH18 and B. licheniformis K11 of the consortium No.11. The results came out through treatment of two strains co-culture, treatment of individual culture and co-treatment of two individual cultures for the growth and Phytophthora blight suppression of red-pepper. The treatment of two strains co-culture didn't show a synergic effect in comparing sole treatment on the pepper growth promotion and Phytophthora blight suppression. But, when the pots were treated simultaneously with co-treatment of two individual cultures, an synergic effect was seen in the growth promotion of roots, stem, leaves and suppressed Phytophthora blight on red-pepper in vivo pot test.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.794-808
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• 2019

Bacillus velezensis strain WRN014 was isolated from banana fields in Hainan, China. Bacillus velezensis is an important member of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) which can enhance plant growth and control soil-borne disease. The complete genome of Bacillus velezensis WRN014 was sequenced by combining Illumina Hiseq 2500 system and Pacific Biosciences SMRT high-throughput sequencing technologies. Then, the genome of Bacillus velezensis WRN014, together with 45 other completed genome sequences of the Bacillus velezensis strains, were comparatively studied. The genome of Bacillus velezensis WRN014 was 4,063,541bp in length and contained 4,062 coding sequences, 9 genomic islands and 13 gene clusters. The results of comparative genomic analysis provide evidence that (i) The 46 Bacillus velezensis strains formed 2 obviously closely related clades in phylogenetic trees. (ii) The pangenome in this study is open and is increasing with the addition of new sequenced genomes. (iii) Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealed local diversification of the 46 Bacillus velezensis genomes. Surprisingly, SNPs were not evenly distributed throughout the whole genome. (iv) Analysis of gene clusters revealed that rich gene clusters spread over Bacillus velezensis strains and some gene clusters are conserved in different strains. This study reveals that the strain WRN014 and other Bacillus velezensis strains have potential to be used as PGPR and biopesticide.