• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 1996

Marine bacterial strain, highly effective agar degrading, was isolated from south sea of Korea and was identified as Pseudomonas sp. This strain was named Halophilic Pseudomonas sp. W7 and accumulated an extracellular agarase which showed a high level of enzyme activity in the presence of agar and agarose. This extracellular agarase was purified by anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Purified agarase showed a single protein band upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its molecular weight was estimated to be about 89KDa. The agarase gene was cloned into Escherichia coli JM83 using the plasmid vector pUC19. DNA fragments(3.7, 3.0Kb) of Hind III-digested chromosomal DNA of Pseudomonas sp. W7 was inserted into the Hind III site of pUC19. Selected transformants, E. coli JM83/pSWl 000000and E. coli JM83/pSW3, produced agarase and this agarase was accumulated In the cytoplasmic space.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1378-1385
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• 2010

A novel agarolytic bacterium, KY-YJ-3, producing extracellular agarase, was isolated from the freshwater sediment of the Sincheon River in Daegu, Korea. On the basis of Gram-staining data, morphology, and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence, the isolate was identified as Cellvibrio sp. By ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Toyopearl QAE-550C, Toyopearl HW-55F, and MonoQ column chromatographies, the extracellular agarase in the culture fluid could be purified 120.2-fold with a yield of 8.1%. The specific activity of the purified agarase was 84.2 U/mg. The molecular mass of the purified agarase was 70 kDa as determined by dodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The optimal temperature and pH of the purified agarase were $35^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0, respectively. The purified agarase failed to hydrolyze the other polysaccharide substrates, including carboxymethyl-cellulose, dextran, soluble starch, pectin, and polygalacturonic acid. Kinetic analysis of the agarose hydrolysis catalyzed by the purified agarase using thin-layer chromatography showed that the main products were neoagarobiose, neoagarotetraose, and neoagarohexaose. These results demonstrated that the newly isolated freshwater agarolytic bacterium KY-YJ-3 was a Cellvibrio sp., and could produce an extracellular ${\beta}$-agarase, which hydrolyzed agarose to yield neoagarobiose, neoagarotetraose, and neoagarohexaose as the main products.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.156-162
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• 2016

In this study, we isolated a new agar-degrading marine bacterium and characterized its agarase. An agardegrading marine bacterium SH-1 was isolated from seawater, collected from the seashore of Namhae in Gyeongnam province, Korea, and cultured in marine agar 2216 media. It was identified as Maribacter. sp. SH-1 by phylogenetic analyses, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence. The extracellular agarase was extracted from culture media of Maribacter sp. SH-1 and characterized. Its relative activities were 56, 62, 94, 100, and 8% at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60℃, respectively, whereas 15, 100, 60, and 21% relative activities were observed at pH 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. Its extracellular agarase exhibited maximum activity (231 units/l) at pH 6.0 and 50℃, in 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer. Therefore, this agarase would be applicable as it showed the maximum activity at the temperature at which the agar is in a sol state. Furthermore, the agarase activities remained over 90% at 20, 30, and 40℃ after 0.5 h exposure at these temperatures. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that Maribacter sp. SH-1 produces extracellular β-agarase, as it hydrolyzes agarose to produce neoagarooligosaccharides, such as neoagarohexaose (34.8%), neoagarotetraose (52.2%), and neoagarobiose (13.0%). Maribacter sp. SH-1 and its β-agarase would be useful for the production of neoagarooligosaccharides, which shows functional properties, like skin moisturizing, skin whitening, inhibition of bacterial growth, and delay in starch degradation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.291-297
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• 2001

The marine bacterium isolated from Porphyra dentata showing green spot rot disease was identified as Pseudomonas sp. the strain have CNCase activity, xylanase activity and protease activity as well as agarase activity. But the strain has no pectate lyase activity. Porphyra dentata tissue inoculated this isolate was macerated after 1 week incubation. The characteristics of extracellular crude agarase of this isolate were examined, the optimal pH and temperature were pH7 and 3$0^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 1993

A bacterial strain KY-l isolated from sewage was able to produce an extracellular agarase(agarose 4-glycanohydrolase. EC 3.2.1.81). The strain KY-1 was identified as Cytophaga fermentans subsp. agarovorans based on its morphological and physiological characteristics. The agarase was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by DEAE-Sephadex A-50. Bio-Gel P-100. and CM-Cellulose column chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was 24 kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimum temperature and pH for the enzyme activity were 30^{circ}C and 7.5, respectively. The enzyme activity was significantly inhibited in the presence of 0.1 mM $HgCl_2$. whereas it was elevated 3 times by $MnSO_4$ at 1 mM concentration. The Km value and Vmax were 16.67 mg/ml and 3.77 unit/ml.min. The agarase gene was cloned into Escherichia coli MC1061 using the plasmid vector pBR322. A 1.4 Kb DNA fragment of PstI-digested chromosomal DNA of C. fermentans KY-l was inserted into the PstI site of pBR322. expressed in the E. coli. and up to 60% of the total enzyme was extracellularly secreted. Enzymatic properties of the extracellular agarases produced by both the transformant and the donor were very similar in terms of optimal pH and temperature.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.135-140
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• 2024

This study reports the isolation of a bacterium capable of degrading agar and the characterization of its agarase. An agar-degrading marine bacterium JS-1 was isolated using Marine agar 2216 media from seawater collected from the seashore of Angolpo, Changwon, Gyeongnam Province, Republic of Korea. An agar-degrading bacterium was named as Tenacibaculum sp. JS-1 by phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence. The extracellular crude agarase was prepared from the culture media of Tenacibaculum sp. JS-1 and used for characterization. Relative activities at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60℃ were 39, 73, 100, 74, and 53%, respectively. Relative activities at pH 5, 6, 7, and 8 were 46%, 67%, 100%, and 49%, respectively. Its extracellular agarase showed maximum activity (164 U/l) at pH 7.0 and 40℃ in a 20 mM GTA buffer. The residual activities after heat treatment at 20, 30, and 50℃ for 30 min were 84, 73, and 26% or more, respectively. After 2 h heat treatment at 20, 30, 40, and 50℃, the residual activities were 80, 64, 52 and 21%, respectively. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that Tenacibaculum sp. JS-1 produces extracellular β-agarases that hydrolyze agarose to produce neoagarooligosaccharides, including neoagarohexaose (12.3%), neoagarotetraose (65.1%), and neoagarobiose (22.6%) at 6 h. Tenacibaculum sp. JS-1 and its β-agarase could be valuable for producing neoagarooligosaccharides with a variety of functional properties. These properties include inhibiting bacterial growth, slowing down starch degradation, and whitening, which are of interest for pharmaceuticals, food, cosmeceuticals, and nutraceuticals.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.285-289
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• 2022

In this study, the growth characteristics of an agar-degrading bacterium isolated from seawater samples collected from Yeongheungdo, Incheon, and the characteristics of its agarase were analyzed. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolated strain was 95% similar to that of the genus Agarivorans, and thus the isolated strain was named Agarivorans sp. HY-1. When Agarivorans sp. HY-1 was cultured in a marine broth 2216 medium at 27℃ and 250 rpm, it showed maximum growth on day 1 and showed maximum enzymatic activity on day 2. A crude enzyme solution was prepared from secreted agarase in the culture medium. The extracellular agarase of the Agarivorans sp. HY-1 strain showed maximal activity at 40℃ and pH 7.0 (20 mM Tris-HCl) with 591.91 U/l. The agarase exhibited relative activities of 64, 91, 100, 97, 89, and 60% at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70℃, respectively. At pH 5, 6, 7, and 8, the relative activities were 79, 95, 100, and 55%, respectively. Furthermore, the agarase exhibited >86% residual activity at 20, 30, and 40℃ for 2 hr and >44% residual activity at 50℃ after 2 hr. A TLC analysis confirmed that Agarivorans sp. HY-1 produced α-agarase. As the degradation products of α-agarase have anticancer and antioxidant effects, Agarivorans sp. HY-1 and its agarase may well prove useful.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to isolate a new marine agarase-producing bacterium. Agarase can hydrolyze agar and agarose to produce agarooligosaccharides or neoagarooligosaccharides, which possess many physiological functions. Strain DH-3 was isolated from seawater collected from the coast of Yeosu at Jeollanam province, Korea. A 16S rDNA sequence analysis showed this strain to be Persicobacter sp. DH-3. Extracellular agarase was prepared from culture media of Persicobacter sp. DH-3 and used for characterization. Relative activities at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and $70^{\circ}C$ were 50, 55, 70, 100, 90, and 50%, respectively. Relative activities at pH 5, 6, 7, and 8 were 75, 100, 90, and 75%, respectively. The enzyme showed maximum activity at $50^{\circ}C$ in a 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer at pH 6. This enzyme could be useful, as agar is in liquid state at $50^{\circ}C$. Agarase activities were maintained at 80% or more for 2 hr at 20, 30, and $40^{\circ}C$. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that Persicobacter sp. DH-3 produced extracellular ${\beta}$-agarases as it hydrolyzed agarose to produce neoagarohexaose and neoagarotetraose. In addition, zymogram analysis confirmed that Persicobacter sp. DH-3 produces at least three agar-degrading enzymes with molecular weights of 45, 70, and 140 kDa. Therefore, it is expected that agarases from Persicobacter sp. DH-3 could be used to produce functional neoagarooligosaccharides.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2008

An agar-degrading marine bacterium, strain AS-1 was isolated from the seawater. The strain AS-1 was identified as Sphingomonas paucimobilis (90% probability) by VITEK. The optimum medium for agarase activity of the isolated strain was determined to be marine medium, marine broth 2216 containing 0.1% agar as carbon source. An extracellular agarase was purified 104-fold from the culture supernatant by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration methods. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 80 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature for activity were 7.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. Antioxidative activity of the strain AS- was 72% in the supernatant cultured for 12 h. The culture supernatant of the strain AS-1 showed antibacterial activity against bacteria causing putrefaction and food poisoning such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus vulgaris. However, the cell growth of the lactic aicd forming strain, Lactobacillus plantarium was promoted by the treatment of 10% culture supernatant of an agar-degrading strain.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.157-162
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• 2009

An agar-liquefying bacteria (SC-22), which produces a diffusible agarase that caused agar softening around the colony was isolated from Daecheong lake in Korea. Chemotaxanomic and phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed the strain was classified as Cellvibrio mixtus SC-22. The isolate SC-22 showed maximal extracellular agarase activity with 58.5 U/mL after 48 h cultivation in the presence of 0.2% agar. It was observed that the isolate produced two kinds of extracellular and three kinds of intracellular isoenzymes. The major agarase was purified from the culture filtrate of agarolytic bacteria by ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange and gel filtration column chromatographic methods. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 25 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature of the purified enzyme were pH 7.0 and $50^{\circ}C$, respectively. The agarase activity was activated by $Fe^{2+}$, $Na^+$ and $Ca^{2+}$ ions while it was inhibited by $Hg^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ at 1 mM concentration. The predominant hydrolysis product of agarose by the enzyme was galactose and disaccharide on TLC, indicating the cleavage of $\beta$-1,4 linkage in a random manner. The enzyme showed high substrate specificity for only agar and agarose among various polysaccharides.