• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.828-836
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• 2008

The biocontrol rhizobacterium Pseudomonas sp. M18 can produce two kinds of antibiotics, namely pyoluteorin (Plt) and phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), and is antagonistic against a number of soilborne phytopathogens. In this study, a luxR-type quorum-sensing regulatory gene, vqsR, was identified and characterized immediately downstream of the Plt gene cluster in strain MI8. A vqsR-inactivated mutant led to a significant decrease in the production of Plt and its biosynthetic gene expression. However, this was restored when introducing the vqsR gene by cloning into the plasmid pME6032 in trans. The vqsR mutation did not exert any obvious influence on the production of PCA and its biosynthetic gene expression and the production of N-acylhomoserine lactones (C4 and C8-HSLs) and their biosynthetic gene rhlI expression. Accordingly, these results introduce VqsR as a regulator of Plt production in Pseudomonas spp., and suggest that the regulatory mechanism of vqsR in strain M18 is distinct from that in P. aeruginosa. In addition, it was demonstrated that vqsR mutation did not have any obvious impact on the expression of Plt-specific ABC transporters and other secondary metabolic global regulators, including GacA, RpoS, and RsmA.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.447-453
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• 2009

The quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors that antagonize TraR, a receptor protein for N-3-oxo-octanoyl-L-homoserine lactones (3-oxo-C8-HSL), a QS signal of Agrobacterium tumefaciens were developed. The structural analogues of 3-oxo-C8-HSL were designed by in silico molecular modeling using SYBYL packages, and synthesized by the solid phase organic synthesis (SPOS) method, where the carboxamide bond of 3-oxo-C8-HSL was replaced with a nicotinamide or a sulfonamide bond to make derivatives of N-nicotinyl-L-homoserine lactones or N-sulfonyl-L-homoserine lactones. The in vivo inhibitory activities of these compounds against QS signaling were assayed using reporter systems and compared with the estimated binding energies from the modeling study. This comparison showed fairly good correlation, suggesting that the in silico interpretation of ligand-receptor structures can be a valuable tool for the pre-design of better competitive inhibitors. In addition, these inhibitors also showed anti-biofilm activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.220-227
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• 2022

The spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, a gram-positive opportunistic pathogen, has increased due to the frequent use of antibiotics. Inhibition of the quorum-sensing systems of biofilm-producing strains using plant extracts represents an efficient approach for controlling infections. Torilis japonica is a medicinal herb showing various bioactivities; however, no studies have reported the anti-biofilm effects of T. japonica extracts against drug-resistant S. aureus. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of T. japonica ethanol extract (TJE) on biofilm production in methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) KCTC 1927, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) KCCM 40510, and MRSA KCCM 40511. Biofilm assays showed that TJE could inhibit biofilm formation in all strains. Furthermore, the hemolysis of sheep blood was found to be reduced when the strains were treated with TJE. The mRNA expression of agrA, sarA, icaA, hla, and RNAIII was evaluated using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to determine the effect of TJE on the regulation of genes encoding quorum sensing-related virulence factors in MSSA and MRSA. The expression of hla reduced in a concentration-dependent manner upon treatment with TJE. Moreover, the expression levels of other genes were significantly reduced compared to those in the control group. In conclusion, TJE can suppress biofilm formation and virulence factor-related gene expression in MSSA and MRSA strains. The extract may therefore be used to develop treatments for infections caused by antibiotic-resistant S. aureus.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.173-174
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• 2003

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.48.1-48
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• 2000

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.73.2-73.2
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.05a
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• pp.9-12
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• 2000

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.2104-2111
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• 2017

A new series comprising phenylacetyl-homoserine lactones (HSLs), caffeoyl-HSL and feruloyl-HSL, was biologically synthesized using an artificial de novo biosynthetic pathway. We developed an Escherichia coli system containing artificial biosynthetic pathways that yield phenylacetyl-HSLs from simple carbon sources. These artificial biosynthetic pathways contained the LuxI-type synthase gene (rpaI) in addition to caffeoyl-CoA and feruloyl-CoA biosynthetic genes, respectively. Finally, the yields for caffeoyl-HSL and feruloyl-HSL were $97.1{\pm}10.3$ and $65.2{\pm}5.7mg/l$, respectively, by tyrosine-overproducing E. coli with a $\text\tiny{L}$-methionine feeding strategy. In a quorum sensing (QS) competition assay, feruloyl-HSL and p-coumaroyl-HSL antagonized the QS receptor TraR in Agrobacterium tumefaciens NT1, whereas caffeoyl-HSL did not.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.66.1-66
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• 2003

The aim of this study was to characterize the interactions of rice and Burkholderia glumae, a causal agent of bacterial grain rot of rice, at molecular levels using whole genomic sequences and to identify genes important for pathogenicity and symptom development. To do these, we sequenced whole genome of the bacterium and constructed cosmid clone profiles. We generated pools of mutants using various transposons and determined mutation sites by sequencing rescued plasmids. We focused on studying toxoflavin biosynthetic genes, quorum sensing regulation, and Hrp type III protein secretion systems. We found that two possible operons consisting of five genes are involved in toxoflavin biosynthesis and their expression is regulated by quorum sensing and LysR-type regulator, ToxR. We have isolated the nn PAI of B. glumae and characterized by mutational analyses. The hrp cluster resembled most the putative Type III secretion systems of B. pseudomallei, which is the causative agent of melioidosis, a serious disease of man and animals. The Hrp PAI core region showed high similarity to that of Ralstonia solanacearum and Xanthomonas campestris, however some aspects were dissimilar.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.804-811
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• 2001

In many Gram-negative bacteria, autoinducers, such as N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone(acyl-HSL) and its derivative molecules, mediate the cell-density-dependnet expression of certain operons. The current study identified the autoinducers produced by Burkholderia cepacia G4, a trichloroethylene-degrading lagoon isolate, using TLC bioassays with Agrobacterium tumefaciens NT1(pDCI141E33) and Chromobacterium violaceum CVO26, and a GC-MS analysis. The ${R_f}\;and\;{R_t}$ values and mass spectra were compared with those of synthetic compounds. Based on the analyses, it was confirmed that G4 produces N-hexanoyl (C6)-, N-octanoyl (C8)-, N-decanoyl (C10)-, N-dodecanoyl (C12)-HSL, and an unknown active species. The integration of the GC peak areas exhibited a ratio of C8-HSL:C10-HSL:C12-HSL at 3:17:1 with C6-HSL and C10-HSL production at trace and micromolar levels, respectively, in the culture supernatants. Nutants partially defective in producing acyl-HSLs were also partially defective in the biosynthesis of an antibiotic substance. These results indicate that the autoinducer-dependent gene regulation in G4 is dissimilar to the clinical B. cepacia strains isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis.