• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.774-783
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• 2007

In the present study, acidocin 1B, a bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus acidophilus GP 1B, exhibited profound inhibitory activity against a variety of LAB and pathogens, including Gram-negative bacteria, and its mode of action was to destabilize the cell wall, thereby resulting in bactericidal lysis. Acidocin 1B was found to be heat stable, because it lost no activity when it was heated up to $95^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. It retained approximately 67% of the initial activity after storage for 30 days at $4^{\circ}C$, and 50% of its initial activity after 30 days at $25^{\circ}C$ and $37^{\circ}C$. The molecular mass of acidocin 1B was estimated to be 4,214.65 Da by mass spectrometry. Plasmid curing results indicated that a plasmid, designated as pLA1B, seemed to be responsible for both acidocin 1B production and host immunity, and that the pLA1B could be transformed into competent cells of L. acidophilus ATCC 43121 by electroporation. Our findings indicate that the acidocin 1B and its producer strain may have potential value as a biopreservative in food systems.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.550-560
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• 1998

Prevotella intermedia has been known as one of the important bacterial species involved in the endodontic infections and various periodontal diseases. Polyphosphate has been widely used to prevent decomposition of food and known to have an inhibitory effect on the growth of gram positive bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of poly phosphate on the growth of Prevotella intermedia, a gram negative bacterium. Prevotella intermedia G8GK3(ATCC 49046) was grown in the presence of polyphosphates with different chain lengths. Inhibitory effect of each polyphosphate, which was added at the beginning or at the early exponential growth phase of Prevotella intermedia, was determined by measuring optical density of the bacterial cells at 540nm, viable cells and lysis of Prevotella intermedia. The results from this study were as follows : 1. Poly phosphate inhibited the growth of Prevotella intermedia. 2. The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) of poly phosphate appeared to be 0.05%. 3. Polyphosphates with chain lengths of 5 and 65 demonstrated the greatest inhibitory effect on the growth of Prevotella intermedia. 4. Polyphosphate was bactericidal to Prevotella intermedia, demonstrating the growth inhibition of the bacterium. 5. Polyphosphate induced lysis of Prevotella intermedia. The overall results suggest that polyphosphate has a bactericidal effect on Prevotella intermedia, causing the lysis of the bacterium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.663-667
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• 2007

Pediococcus acidilactici produces bacteriocin, which kills Listeria monocytogenes. The bactericidal mode of action of the bacteriocin against L. monocytogenes V7 was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The bacteriocin was purified partially from the cell-free extract using Micro-Cel and cation-exchange chromatography, and the specific activity was increased 1,791 fold. The bacteriocin (6,400 AU/ml) was inoculated with L. monocytogenes V7 and incubated for 0.5h, 1h, 3h, and 6h. The bacteriocin was found to destroy most of the cell wall and released most of the inclusions in the cells after 6 h of incubation. These results suggest that the bactericidal effect of the bacteriocin was due to bacterial lysis.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.269-277
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• 1996

Bacteriocins are proteins produced by a heterogeneous group of bacteria that have a bactericidal effect on closely related organisms. Recently, bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria and other food-related organisms have been the subject of much research because of their potential as food biopreservatives. Various modifications of agar plate diffusion assays are the most widely used methods even though the limitations of such assays are generally recognized. The ability to obtain a concentrated crude preparation on bacteriocin by optimizing production parameters greatly simplifies recovery of bacteriocin on subsequent purification steps. Some studies performed to optimize bacteriocins have been purified to homogeneity, and the amino acid sequences of many of these purified bacteriocins have been determined. Obtaining characterization data on purified bacteriocin will minimize the risk of overlapping of research and confusion on identification of these compounds. Several me-chanisms leading to cell death have been hypothesized. These include depletion of the proton motive force(PMF) across the cell membrane: RNase and/or DNase activity within the sensitive cell; and pore formation and lysis of sensitive cells at the cell membrane.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.196-203
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• 1993

We compared in vitro antibacterial activity of DWC-751, a new parenteral cephalosporin antibiotic, with those of cefpirome (CPR), cefotaxime (CTX) and ceftazidime (CAZ). DWC-751 showed a broad antimicrobial spectrum against Gram-positive and negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity of DWC-751 against Stapylococcus aureus was equal to that of CPR and superior to those of CTX and CAZ. The activity of it against Excherichia coli was more potent than those of CPR, CTX and CAZ. Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, DWC-751 was slightly inferior to that of CAZ and superior to those of CPR and CTX. The antibacterial activity of DWC-751 was superior to those of CPR, CTX and CAZ against clinical isolates and ofloxacin resistant strains. DWC-751 showed bactericidal action against Escherichia coli at concentrations close to the MIC and induced the formation of filament and burge and lysis of Escherichia coli in a microscopic examination.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2013

In an effort to discover an alternative antibiotic for treating infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas sp. UJ-6, a marine bacterium that exhibited antibacterial activity against MRSA, was isolated. The culture broth and its ethyl acetate extract exhibited bactericidal activity against MRSA. The extract also exhibited antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria, which were not susceptible to vancomycin. The treatment of MRSA with the extract resulted in abnormal cell lysis. The extract retained >95% of its anti-MRSA activity after heat treatment for 15 min at $121^{\circ}C$. Thus, although most antibiotics are unstable under conditions of thermal stress, Pseudomonas sp. UJ-6 produces a heat-stable anti-MRSA substance. The results of this study strongly suggest that Pseudomonas sp. UJ-6 can be used to develop a novel, heat-stable, broad-spectrum antibiotic for the treatment of MRSA infections.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.80-91
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• 2003

Mutans streptococci, especially S. mutans and S. sobrinus strongly implicated in pathogenesis of dental caries, the major cause of tooth loss in children. Use of an antibacterial agent controlling dental caries has been rationalized. The present study was performed to observe the antibacterial effect of inorganic polyphosphates (polyP) on S. mutans and S. sobrinus. S. mutans GS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 were grown in brain-heart infusion broth with or without polyP. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of polyP for S. mutans GS5 was determined to be 0.08% and that for S. sobrius 6715 was 0.17%. PolyP 15 added to the growing culture of S. mutans GS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 at their exponential phase was as effective in inhibiting the growth of S. mutans GS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 as polyP added at the very beginning of the culture. More than 85% of the cells lost their viability determined by viable cell count when polyP 15 was added to the culture of growing S. mutans GS5 at MIC, suggesting that polyP 15 has bacterial effect on the bacterium. And more than 99.9% of the cells lost their viability determined by viable cell count when polyP 15 was added to the culture of growing S. sobrinus 6715 at MIC, suggesting that polyP 15 has bacterial effect on the bacterium. Intracellular nucleotide release from S. mutans CS5 and S. sobrinus 6715 was increased in the presence of polyP 15 for 5h but was not really reversed by the addition of divalent cations like $Ca^{++}\;and\;Mg^{++}$. The majority of the cells appeared to be atypical in their shape, demonstrating accumulation of highly electron-dense granules and ghost cells. The overall results suggest that polyP have a strong bactericidal activity against S. mutans and S. sobrinus in which lysis in relation to chelation may not play the major role but unknown mechanism that possibly affects the viability of the bacterium may be involved. PolyP may be used as an agent for prevention of dental caries.