• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.881-891
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• 2003

Paenibacillus polymyxa is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) which can be used for biological control of plant diseases. Several bacterial strains were isolated from rotten roots of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) that were in storage. These strains were identified as P. polymyxa, based on a RAPD analysis using a P. polymyxa-specific primer, cultural and physiological characteristics, an analysis utilizing the Biolog system, gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters (GC-FAME), and the 16S rDNA sequence analysis. These strains were found to cause the rot in stored ginseng roots. Twenty-six P. polymyxa strains, including twenty GBR strains, were phylogenetically classified into two groups according to the ERIC and BOX-PCR analyses and 16S rDNA sequencing, and the resulting groupings systematized to the degrees of virulence of each strain in causing root rot. In particular, highly virulent GBR strains clustered together, and this group may be considered as subspecies or biovar. The virulence of the strains seemed to be related to their starch hydrolysis enzyme activity, but not their cellulase or hemicellulase activity, since strains with reduced or no starch-hydrolytic activity showed little or no virulence. Artificial inoculation of the highly virulent strain GBR-1 onto the root surfaces of Korean ginseng resulted in small brown lesions which were sunken and confined to the outer portion of the root. Ginseng root discs inoculated in vitro or two-year-old roots grown in soil drenched with the inoculum developed significant rot only when the inoculum density was $10^{6}-10^{7}$ or more colony-forming units (CFU) per ml. These results suggest that P. polymyxa might induce ginseng root rot if their population levels are high. Based on these results, it is recommended that the concentration of P. polymyxa should be monitored, when it is used as a biocontrol agent of ginseng, especially in the treatment of stored roots.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2007

Sphingomonas sp. KS 301, which was isolated from oil contaminated soil, was shown to have five different SODs (SODI, II, III, IV, V) which can be separated by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, and SOD III was finally purified in this study by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, Superose 12 gel filtration and Uno-Q1 ion exchange chromatography. The molecular weight of SOD III was 23 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE and the apparent molecular weight of the native enzyme was estimated to be approximately 71 kDa by Superose-12 gel filtration chromatography. These data suggest that the purified SOD consists of at least two subunits. The specific activity of the SOD III was higher than Mn type or Fe type SOD of Escherichia coli by 5 fold. To determine the type of SOD III, inhibitory effects of $NaN_{3},\;H_{2}O_{2},\;KCN$ were examined. 10 mM $NaN_{3}$ was able to inhibit 56% of the SOD III activity, which indicates that this SOD is Mn type. The optimum pH of the SOD III was 7.0 and the optimum temperature was $20^{\circ}C$. N-terminal amino acid sequence of purified SOD III was most similar to those of Psudomonase ovalis and Vibrio cholerae among bacteria.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1682-1688
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• 2007

To develop multifunctional microbial inoculant, microorganisms with antagonistic activity and biofertilizing activity were screened. Pantoea agglomerans and Bacillus megaterium from our laboratory culture collection, and strain MF12 from soil near poultry farm in Miryang were selected. On the basis of morphological, physiological studies and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, isolate MF12 was identified as the Bacillus pumilis. Three strains were studied for insoluble phosphate solubilization, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore production, ammonification ability, hydrolytic enzyme production and antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi. P. agglomerans did not produce any visible clear zone on agar plate containing 0.5% $Ca_3(PO_4){_2}$ as a sole phosphorus source. However, this strain could solubilize insoluble phosphate in liquid medium. All strains produced IAA ranged from $3{\sim}639{\mu}g/ml$ depending on culture time and had ammonification ability. Among three strains, only P. agglomerans produced siderophore. P. agglomerans produced pectinase and lipase, B. megaterium produced amylase, protease and lipase while B. pumilis produced protease and lipase. P. agglomerans showed antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. B. pumilis showed antifungal activities against Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Phythium ultimum.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.38-45
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• 2005

The feasibility of stimulating in situ aerobic cometabolic activity of indigenous microorganisms was investigated in a trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated aquifer. A series of single-well natural drift tests (SWNDTs) was conducted by injecting site groundwater amended with a bromide tracer and combinations of toluene, oxygen, nitrate, ethylene and TCE into an existing monitoring well and by sampling the same well over time. Three field tests, Push-pull Transport Test, Drift Biostimulation Test, and Drift Surrogate Activity Test, were performed in sequence. Initial rate of toluene degradation was much faster than the rate of bromide dilution resulting from natural groundwater drift, indicating stimulation of indigenous toluene-oxidizing microorganisms. Transformation of ethylene, a surrogate probing overall activity of TCE transformation, was also observed, and its transformation results in the production of ethylene oxide, suggesting that some tolueneoxidizing microorganisms stimulated may express a orthomonooxygenase enzyme. Also in situ transformation of TCE was confirmed by greater retardation of TCE than bromide after the stimulation of toluene-oxidizing microorganisms. These results indicate that, in this environment, toluene and oxygen additions stimulated the growth and aerobic cometabolic activity of indigenous microorganisms expressing orthomonooxygenase enzymes. The simple, low-cost field test method presented in this study provides an effective method for conducting rapid field assessments and pilot testing of aerobic cometabolism, which has previously hindered application of this technology to groundwater remediation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1790-1797
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• 2017

In the present study, we demonstrate that the growth of salt-stressed pepper plants is improved by inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Three PGPR strains (Microbacterium oleivorans KNUC7074, Brevibacterium iodinum KNUC7183, and Rhizobium massiliae KNUC7586) were isolated from the rhizosphere of pepper plants growing in saline soil, and pepper plants inoculated with these PGPR strains exhibited significantly greater plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, and total chlorophyll content than non-inoculated plants. In addition, salt-stressed pepper plants that were inoculated with B. iodinum KNUC7183 and R. massiliae KNUC7586 possessed significantly different total soluble sugar and proline contents from non-inoculated controls, and the activity of several antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and catalase) was also elevated in PGPR-treated plants under salt stress. Overall, these results suggest that the inoculation of pepper plants with M. oleivorans KNUC7074, B. iodinum KNUC7183, and R. massiliae KNUC7586 can alleviate the harmful effects of salt stress on plant growth.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.344-349
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• 1997

A strain of Bacillus sp. DSNC 101, isolated from soil, produced up to 305.0 units/ml of xylanase when grown on te medium containing 2.0% xylan, 2.0% yeast extract and 0.4% K2HPO4. The strain produced xylanase in the presence of xylan, soluble starch, rice straw, Avicel, maltose, and lactose as a sole carbon source, but the enzyme was not synthesized in the presence of xylose, glucose or arabinose. The crude xylanase preparation did not show hydrolytic activity towards cellulosic substrates and PNPX, a chromogenic substrate for $\beta$-xylosidase. The temperature and pH optima for the xylanase production were 4$0^{\circ}C$ and 8.0, respectively. Xylanase synthesis was repressed by glucose, but not by xylose. The hydrolysis products of xylan catalyzed with the culture filtrate were xylooligosaccharides such as xylobiose and xylotriose but xylose was not detected by tin layer chromatography.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.320-326
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• 1988

Glucoamylase (EC 3.2.1.3) of Aspergillus sp. isolated from soil was partially purified by Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration and DEAE-Sephacel ion exchange chromatography, The glucoamylase activity was separated into two isozymes after DEAE-Sephacel ion exchange chromatrography. The optimum pH and temperature for both glucoamylase isozymes (GI, GII) were identical; pH 4.5 and temperature, $65^{\circ}C$. The molecular weights of GI and GII Isozymes were estimated to be 105,000, which were measured by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200. Both isozymes were stable at pH ranges of 2 to 7, and up to 6$0^{\circ}C$. Glycerol was effective to stabilize the both isozymes. The activation energies of GI and GII isozymes were 10.63 and 10.33 kcal/mole, respectively. The enzyme activities of both isozymes were completely inactivated by addition of 0.1% Hg$^{++}$. In kinetic studies, the Km values of GI isozyme for soluble starch, dextrin, and glycogen were 0.62%, 0.32%, and 1.02%, respectively. For GII isozyme, they became 0.66%, 0.23%. and 0.14% for the substrates.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.369-374
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• 1997

An endochitosanase-producing bacterium was isolated from soil and identified as a strain of Bacillus sp. The isolate was gram positive, rod shape $(0.4-0.6{\times}1.6-2.2{\mu}m)$, endospore-forming, catalase positive, and mobility positive, and grown at pH 4.5-11.0 and upto $42^{\circ}C$ in the medium containing 2% NaCl. RAPD analysis of the DNA purified from the strain was also performed, and the chitosanase-producing strain was named as Bacillus sp. P16. The culture supernatant of the strain showed strong liquefaction activity and rapidly decreased viscosity of chitosan solution. By TLC and HPLC, chitooligosaccharides of DP 2-7 were separated and identified from the enzyme hydrolyzates of chitosan. The chitosanase from Bacillus sp. P16 was thus regarded as an endo-splitting type.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.346-352
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• 1987

One hundred and seventeen colonies were screened for the detection of the production of exodextranase on the dextran-mineral salts medium. Ten colonies out of them produced the dextranase. Flavobacterium multivorum greatly producing the enzyme was isolated from soil, identified and then studied for various biochemical characteristics. The activity of the dextranase in the cultured medium was high between pH8 and 9 at $35^{\circ}C$, and between $45^{\circ}C$ and $55^{\circ}C$ at pH8. By the growth curves the generation times of the bacterium were approximately 52 minutes in the LB broth, 38 minutes in the LB plus 1% dextran and 660 minutes in the dextran-salts. The strain did not have ant plasmid, and was susceptible to genramicin, cotrimoxazole and cefoperazone, and moderately susceptible to chloramphenicol, cefamandole and cefotaxime, but resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin, tetracycline, amikacin and tobramycin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.504-513
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• 2022

Chitin deacetylase (CDA) inhibitors were developed as novel antifungal agents because CDA participates in critical fungal physiological and metabolic processes and increases virulence in soil-borne fungal pathogens. However, few CDA inhibitors have been reported. In this study, 150 candidate CDA inhibitors were selected from the commercial Chemdiv compound library through structure-based virtual screening. The top-ranked 25 compounds were further evaluated for biological activity. The compound J075-4187 had an IC50 of 4.24 ± 0.16 µM for AnCDA. Molecular docking calculations predicted that compound J075-4187 binds to the amino acid residues, including active sites (H101, D48). Furthermore, compound J075-4187 inhibited food spoilage fungi and plant pathogenic fungi, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 260 ㎍/ml and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) at 520 ㎍/ml. Therefore, compound J075-4187 is a good candidate for use in developing antifungal agents for fungi control.