• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.115-121
• /
• 1992

In order to broaden the spectrum of substrate utilization of a Gram negative bacterium Zymomonas mobilis which has a great potential as an industrial ethanol producing microorganism, cloning of $\alpha$-amylase gene into Z. mobilis ZM4 was tried. The $\alpha$-amylase gene was isolated from Bacillus stearothermophilus. By Southern blot analysis, it was proven that the $\alpha$-amylase gene fragment was originated from a naturally occuring plasmid of B. stearothermophilus ATCC 31195. To place $\alpha$-amylase gene under the control of Z. mobilis promoter, two different Z. mobilis expression vectors, pZA26 and pLOI204, were used. The truncated $\alpha$-amylase gene was then introduced into these vectors. Both qualitative and quantitative activities of $\alpha$-amylase were observed in Z. mobilis cells harboring these plasmids with the $\alpha$-amylase gene inserted. Gas chromatographic analysis of ethanol showed that one of the Z. mobilis transconjugants was capable of producing 67 mM ethanol from rich medium(RM) containing 5% soluble starch as a sole carbon source.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.94-100
• /
• 2010

Zymomonas mobilis was immobilized in a modified graphite felt cathode with neutral red (NR-cathode) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cultivated on a platinum plate anode. An electrochemical redox reaction was induced by 3 volts of electric potential charged to the cathode and anode. The Z. mobilis produced 1.3-1.5 M of ethanol in the cathode compartment, whereas the S. cerevisiae produced 1.7-1.9 M in the anode compartment after 96 h. The ethanol produced by the Z. mobilis immobilized in the NR-cathode and S. cerevisiae cultivated on the platinum plate was 1.5-1.6 times higher than that produced under conventional conditions. The electrochemical oxidation potential inhibited Z. mobilis, but activated S. cerevisiae. The SDS-PAGE pattern of the total soluble proteins extracted from the Z. mobilis cultivated under the electrochemical oxidation conditions was gradually simplified in proportion to the potential intensity. Z. mobilis and S. cerevisiae were cultivated in the cathode and anode compartments, respectively, of an electrochemical redox combination system. The Z. mobilis culture cultivated in the cathode compartment for 24 h was continuously transferred to the S. cerevisiae culture in the anode compartment at a rate of 300 ml/day. Approx. 1.0-1.2 M of ethanol was produced by the Z. mobilis in the cathode compartment within 24 h, and an additional 0.8-0.9 M produced by the S. cerevisiae in the anode compartment within another 24 h. Thus, a total of 2.0-2.1 M of ethanol was produced by the electrochemical redox combination of Z. mobilis and S. cerevisiae within 48 h.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.394-396
• /
• 1982

Competition between Saccharomyces uvarum and Zymomonas mobilis in a product-limited continuous culture was investigated at pH 5.0. It was evident that Z. mobilis replaced S. uvarum completely due to higher enthanol tolerance with Z. mobilis.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
• /
• v.29 no.B
• /
• pp.115-119
• /
• 2009

Green fluorescent protein (GFPuv) was displayed on the surface of ethanol-producing bacteria Zymomonas mobilis using N-terminal domain of ice nucleation protein (INP) as an anchoring motif. To evaluate the ice nucleation protein as plausible anchor motif in Z. mobilis, GFPuv gene was subcloned into Zymomonas expression vector yielding pBBR1MCS-3/pPDC/INPN/GFPuv plasmid., INP-GFPuv fusion protein was expressed in Z. mobilis and its fluorescence was verified by confocal microscopy. The successful display of GFPuv on Zymomonas mobilis suggest that INP anchor motif could be used for future fusion partner in Z. mobilis strain improvement.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.7
• /
• pp.666-674
• /
• 2009

An electrochemical bioreactor (ECB) composed of a cathode compartment and an air anode was used in this study to characterize the ethanol fermentation of Zymomonas mobilis. The cathode and air anode were constructed of modified graphite felt with neutral red (NR) and a modified porous carbon plate with cellulose acetate and porous ceramic membrane, respectively. The air anode operates as a catalyst to generate protons and electrons from water. The growth and ethanol production of Z. mobilis were 50% higher in the ECB than were observed under anoxic nitrogen conditions. Ethanol production by growing cells and the crude enzyme of Z. mobilis were significantly lower under aerobic conditions than under other conditions. The growing cells and crude enzyme of Z. mobilis did not catalyze ethanol production from pyruvate and acetaldehyde. The membrane fraction of crude enzyme catalyzed ethanol production from glucose, but the soluble fraction did not. NADH was oxidized to $NAD^+$in association with $H_2O_2$reduction, via the catalysis of crude enzyme. Our results suggested that NADH/$NAD^+$balance may be a critical factor for ethanol production from glucose in the metabolism of Z. mobilis, and that the metabolic activity of both growing cells and crude enzyme for ethanol fermentation may be induced in the presence of glucose.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.319-327
• /
• 1987

In order to develop useful plasmid vectors for Zymomonas cells, attempts were made to isolate natural plasmids from Z. mobilis ATCC10988. Among a few plasmids isolated, a small plasmid of 3.9 Kb size was chosen and designated as pZM3. By introducing the replication origin of pZM3 into pBR325, a hybrid plasmid vector of 8.4 Kb size, pHZ22, was constructed. This vector contained chloramphenicol resistant gene as a selectable marker and proved to be conjugally transmissible and stably maintained in Z. mobilis. Tetracycline resistant gene was isolated from RP4 and introduced into pHZ22 to make a new vector called pHZT224 of 10.7 Kb size. Through n series of experiments, it was evident that these plasmid vectors containing selectable markers of chloramphenicol and tetracycline resistance were shuttle vectors functional in Z. mobilis as well as E. coli.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.803-810
• /
• 1995

Co-immobilized mixed culture system(A-Z system) composed of two different oxygen-demanding strains, aerobic(Aspergillus awamori) and anaerobic(Zymomonas mobilis) strains, in a Ca-alginate gel beads was developed to increase ethanol production from raw starch as a carbon source. Optimal mixture ratio of A. awamori and Z. mobilis was $1.25{\times}10^{9}\;spores/L-gel$ and 0.5g cells/L-gel, respectively. After 120 hours of cultivation, gel beads distinguished oxygen-rich surface for A. awamori from oxygen-deficient central part for Z. mobilis. At A-Z culture system, yield of ethanol on glucose, $Y_{p/s}=0.18$, was very low and there was high leakage of cells from surface of gel beads. At A-Z 36 cultrue system with changing silicon check valve for cotton plug at 36 hours in A-Z culture system, there was no cell leakage from gel beads, pH was maintained at around 4.3 during cultivation, and yield of ethanol on glucose, $Y_{p/s}=0.36$, showed 2 times higher than that of control culture system(cotton plug culture).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.268-272
• /
• 1990

The structural gene (zadhII) encoding an alcohol dehydrogenase II from Zyrnornonas mobilis was cloned into Escherichia coli in our laboratory (Yoon et al., 1989. Kor. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol.). From E. coli (pADS93) carrying the zadhII gene, the Z mobilis alcochol dehydrogenase II (ZADH-II) was purified by sonication, $(NH_4)_2SO_4$, fractionation, and chromatography. The ZADH-I1 enzyme produced by Z. mobilis cell was also purified to compare to the enzyme produced by E. coli (pADS93). The purified enzyme from cell extract of E. coli (pADS93) was identified to be a tetramer being composed of four identical subunits having molecular weight of 40, 000 dalton like that of Z. mobilis. The pH optimum for the reaction oxidizing ethanol to acetaldehyde was 10.0 while the optimum for the reverse reaction was 7.5-8.5. The apparent $K_m$ values for ethanol and NAD + were $1.2 \times 10^{-1}M$and $5.1\times 10^{-5}M$, respectively. In addition, it was found that the $K_m$ value for acetaldehyde was very lower than that for ethanol.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.301-306
• /
• 1989

A genomic library of Zymomonas mobilis DNA was constructed in Escherichia coli using plasmid pUC9 Allyl alcohol was used to screen a genomic clone expressing alcohol dehydrogenase. The plasmids isolated from two clones, which were sensitive to allyl alcohol, were found to be related and to share a common 2.6 kb fragment encoding alcohol dehydrogenase II identified as one of two isozymes in Z. mobilis by staining for alcohol dehydrogenase activity on polyacrylamide gel and spectrophotometric analysis of several substrate oxidations.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.7 no.6
• /
• pp.438-440
• /
• 1997

A continuous fermentation system employing immobilized cells of Zymomonas mobilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied for the mass production of ethanol. Ethanol production by cells immobilized with Ca-alginate was better than those by cells immobilized with K-carrageenan. Maximum ethanol production employing a continuous system by cells immobilized with Ca-alginate was 77.5 $g.l^{-1}h^{-1}$ at a dilution rate of 1.85 $h^{-1}$ with 82% conversion rate for Z. mobilis while that was 40.2 $g.l^{-1}h^{-1}$ at a dilution rate of 0.92 $h^{-1}$ with 85% conversion rate for S. cerevisiae. These results suggest that Ca-alginate is a better cell immobilization matrix than K-carrageenan and that immobilized cells of Z. mobilis are more efficient than S. cerevisiae for ethanol production.