• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2012

Vibrio vulnificus ghosts (VVG) were generated using a mobilizable vector including a thermosensitive expression cassette by conjugation. The vaccine potential of VVG was investigated in mouse. Mice immunized with VVG showed significantly higher antibody titer than those with formalin-killed V. vulnificus. The present study supports the conceptive usefulness of bacterial ghosts as vaccine candidates.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2004

Many bacteria monitor their population density and control the expression of specialized gene sets in response to bacterial cell density based on a mechanism referred to as quorum sensing. In all cases, quorum sensing involves the production and detection of extracellular signaling molecules, auto inducers, as which Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria use most prevalently acylated homoserine lactones and processed oligo-peptides, respectively. Through quorum-sensing communication circuits, bacteria regulate a diverse array of physiological functions, including virulence, symbiosis, competence, conjugation, antibiotic production, motility, sporulation, and biofilm formation. Many pathogens have evolved quorum-sensing mechanisms to mount population-density-dependent attacks to over-whelm the defense responses of plants, animals, and humans. Since these AHL-mediated signaling mechanisms are widespread and highly conserved in many pathogenic bacteria, the disruption of quorum-sensing system might be an attractive target for novel anti-infective therapy. To control AHL-mediated pathogenicity, several promising strategies to disrupt bacterial quorum sensing have been reported, and several chemicals and enzymes have been also investigated for years. These studies indicate that anti-quorum sensing strategies could be developed as possible alternatives of antibiotics.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.483-490
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• 1992

In order to understand the transfer behavior of a particular gene in water environments, kanamycin resistance ($Km^r$) gene was tracked by Southern hybridization with DNA probe in its conjugal transfer. A $Km^r$ natural bacterial isolate and genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) constructed from the isolate were used as donor for conjugal transfer of the $Km^r$ gene. The transfer frequencies of the $Km^r$ gene from GMM strains were generally 10 to 100 times higher than those from the natural isolate. The conjugants obtained from GMM strains in LB broth had more plasmids newly appeared, and particularly the conjugants in A Wand FW waters revealed more rearrangement in their plasmids as a function of conjugation time. When plasmids of the conjugants obtained in LB broth were Southern hybridized with DNA probe of the $Km^r$ gene, the $Km^r$ plasmids in the conjugants were detected at the same position of the plasmids in donor cells, in spite of the fact that the plasmids were highly rearranged in conjugant cells. But the $Km^r$ plasmids in the donor of DKI and DKC601, and DKC600 were not identified in the conjugants obtained after 50 h conjugation in AW and after 30 h in AW, respectively. The size of the $Km^r$ plasmids showing hybridization signal were a little changed in the conjugants obtained in A Wand FW waters. Therefore, the method of Southern hybridization with DNA probe was proved to be very specific and useful for tracking of particular genes in water environments.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.177-183
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• 1998

A DNA fragment which is involved in tolassin production was cloned to obtain a molecular marker of Pseudomonas tolaasii, a casual agent of bacterial brown blotch disease of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). Tolaasin is a lipodepsipeptide toxin and known as a primary disease determinant of the P. tolaasii. It is responsible for formation of white line in agar when P. tolaasii were cultured against white line reacting organisms (WLROs). White line negative mutants (WL-) were generated by conjugation between rifampicin resistant strain of P. tolaasii and E. coli carrying suicidal plasmid pSUP2021 : : Tn5. The ability of tolaasin production of the WL- mutants was examined by hemolysis test, pathogenicity test, and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of culture filtrate. All of the WL- mutants were lost the ability of tolaasin production (Tol-). Genomic library of the Tol- mutant was constructed in pLAFR3 and the cosmid clone containing Tn5 was selected. DNA fragment fro franking region of Tn5 was cloned from the plasmid and used as a probe in Southern blot. DNA-DNA hybridization with the probe to total DNA from group of bacteria ecologically similar to P. tolaasii including WLORs, fluorescent Pseudomonads isolated from oyster mushroom, P. agarici, P. gingeri, and some of other species of Psedomonas showed that some of the tested bacteria do not have any hybridized band and others have bands sowing RFLP. The cloned DNA fragment or its nucleotide sequence will be useful in detection and identification of the P. tolaasii.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2012

This study investigated the role of plasmids and their relationship with the multiple antibiotic resistance of 30 Vibrios sp. isolated from molluscs and crustaceans sampled from the Kerala coastal waters of India. The biochemical identification and antibiotic resistance profiles were determined, followed by the plasmid profiles, conjugation and transformation efficiencies. The results showed a considerable difference in the level of bacterial resistance to various antibiotics; while all 30 strains were found to be MAR Vibrios sp. and their resistance patterns varied. All the strains were resistant to amoxycillin, ampicillin and carbeniciliin. 87% were resistant to rifampicin; 74% to cefuroxime; 67 to streptomycin; 53% to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin and 47% to furazolidone and nalidixic acid. In addition to their antibiotic resistance, the plasmid DNA of the MAR Vibrios strains isolated from the molluscs and crustaceans was also studied. Nine strains isolated from crustaceans and molluscs were found to harbor 1-3 plasmids with sizes varying from 5. 98 kb to 19. 36 kb. The average transformation efficiency was about $5{\times}10^{-8}$ and the conjugation efficiency varied from $2.1{\times}10^{-3}$ to $10^{-9}$. A further study of antibiotic resistance patterns may be useful to test the extent of drug resistance in seafoods and help to devise a nationwide antibiotic policy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.938-943
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• 2004

A gene responsible for the chlorothalonil-biotransformation was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Ochrobactrum anthropi SH35B, an isolated bacterium strain from soil. We determined the nucleotide sequences and found an open reading frame for glutathione S-transferase (GST). The drug-hypersensitive Escherichia coli KAM3 cells transformed with a plasmid carrying the GST gene can grow in the presence of chlorothalonil. The GST of O. anthropi SH35B was expressed in E. coli and purified by affinity chromatography. The fungicide chlorothalonil was rapidly transformed by the purified GST in the presence of glutathione. No significant difference in the chlorothalonil-biotransformation effect was observed among the thiol compounds (cysteine, reduced glutathione, and $\beta$-mercaptoethanol). Thus, the result reported here is the first evidence on the chlorothalonil-biotransformation by conjugation with the cellular free thiol groups, especially glutathione, catalyzed by the bacterial GST.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 1990

A kanamycin resistance($Km^r$) gene was studied for its transfer in natural freshwater environments by using the natural bacterial isolate(M1) of DK1 and the DKC601 strain, $Km^r$ plasmid of which was genetically engineered from the NI strain. The transfer frequency ofthe $Km^r$ gene and rearrangement of the $Km^r$ plasmid were compared between the gnetically engineered microorganism(GEM) and the NI parental strain by conjugation with the same recipient strain. The transfer frequency of the $Km^r$ gene was about $9.1\times 10^{-12}-1.8\times 10^{-11}$ in both the GEM and NI strains at 5 to $10^{\circ}C$, but the frequency of the NI was about 10 times higher than that of the GEM at 20 to $30^{\circ}C$. The $Km^r$ plasmid in the transconjugants obtained by conjugation of the NI with the MY1 strain as a ricipient showed alot of rearrangement, but the $Km^r$ plasmid transferred from the GEM was stable without alteration of its size. When the MT2 strain was used as a recipient, however, such a rearrangement of the $Km^r$ plamid was observed in the transconjugants obtained from the GEM as well as the NI strain. In those transconjugants obtained from different mating pairs and water environments, the plasmid were appeared to decrease in their number as the period of conjugation time was prolonged, but only the $Km^r$ plasmid transferred from the GEM kept having its size of 52kb. Therefore, the $Km^r$ gene was transferred at the same rate from the GEM and NI strains in natural freshwater environment, but the gene of the GEM strain was more stable than the NIduring conjugation and the $Km^r$ plasmid was rearranged by changing the recipient strain for conjugation in any water environments.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.156-161
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• 1996

세계적으로 구리약제에 대해서 저항성을 나타내는 균주들이 발견되있으며, 이들은 구리약제의 방제효과를 감소시켰다. 국내에서도, 구리 저항성 균주 Xanthomonas campestris. pv. vesicatoria HN94-2, -3, -4, -5, -6 들이 천안지역의 고추재배지에서 처음으로 분리되었으며, 이들 균주들의 nutrient agar에서 황산구리(CuSo\ulcorner)에 대한 최소억제농도(minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC)는 1.4~1.6 mM이었다. 이들은 모두 황산아연(ZnSO\ulcorner)에 대해서는 감수성을 보여, 구리저항성 균주에 대한 방제약제로서 아연 함유 약제를 사용할 수 있을 것이다. 분리된 균주중 HN94-2와 HN94-6을 이용하여 접합(conjugation)을 통해 구리저항성의 전파를 실험한 결과, 이들 두 균주 모두 구리감수성 균주에게 4.3$\times$10\ulcorner에서 1.0$\times$10\ulcorner(transconjugant/donor)의 정도로 구리 저항성이 전이되었다. 이들 HN94-2와 HN94-6 균주의 구리정항성 유전자들은 약 200 kb 정도의 커다란 플라스미드(plasmid)에 존재하며, 이들은 각각 pXVK9402와 pXVK9406이라 명명되었다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.871-874
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• 2010

Many studies require expression analysis of the same gene/promoter across a range of bacterial genera. However, there is currently a lack of availability of reporters based on the broad-host-range IncQ replicon, which is compatible with a popular improved IncP transfer system that is self-transfer defective. We report IncQ lacZ reporter plasmids with features including (1) compatibility with IncP, IncW, and pBHR/pBBR replicons, (2) a variety of antibiotic markers (Sp-r, Sm-r, Km-r, Cm-r), (3) convenient mobilization via a novel self-transfer-defective IncP conjugation system, and (4) GenBank DNA sequences. Utility is demonstrated using three different promoters in different Gram-negative genera.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1563-1572
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• 2018

Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and their conjugates have been gaining a great deal of recognition in the medical field. Meanwhile, extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamases (ESBL)-producing bacteria are also demonstrating a challenging problem for health care. The aim of this study was the biosynthesis of AuNP using Rosa damascenes petal extract and conjugation of ceftriaxone antibiotic (Cef-AuNP) in inhibiting ESBL-producing bacteria and study of in vitro anticancer activity. Characterization of the synthesized AuNP and Cef-AuNP was studied. ESBL-producing strains, Acinetobacter baumannii ACI1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSE4 were used for testing the efficacy of Cef-AuNP. The cells of MCF-7 breast cancer were treated with previous AuNP and Cef-AuNP at different time intervals. Cytotoxicity effects of apoptosis and its molecular mechanism were evaluated. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy established the formation of AuNP and Cef-AuNP. Transmission electron microscope demonstrated that the formed nanoparticles were of different shapes with sizes of 15~35 nm and conjugation was established by a slight increase in size. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of Cef-AuNP against tested strains were obtained as 3.6 and $4{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. Cef-AuNP demonstrated a decrease in the MIC of ceftriaxone down to more than 27 folds on the studied strains. The biosynthesized AuNP displayed apoptotic and time-dependent cytotoxic effects in the cells of MCF-7 at a concentration of $0.1{\mu}g/ml$ medium. The Cef-AuNP have low significant effects on MCF-7 cells. These results enhance the conjugating utility in old unresponsive ceftriaxone with AuNP to restore its efficiency against otherwise resistant bacterial pathogens. Additionally, AuNP may be used as an alternative chemotherapeutic treatment of MCF-7 cancer cells.