• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.577-581
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• 1993

The amino acid threonine was produced from glycine and ethanol in a reaction mixture using cell free extract of the methylotrophic bacterium isolated from soil and identified as mellthylo-bacterium sp. KJ29. Although the isolate could grow on carbon source other than methanol, only the cell free extract from the cells grown on methanol produced threonine. Methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) activity was present only in the cells grown on methanol when compared to the cells grown on heterotrophic substrates.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.315-320
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• 1992

The amino acid threonine was produced from glycine and ethanol in a reaction mixture using resting cells of a newly isolated gram-negative methylotrophic bacterium, capable of growth on methanol. The isolate could utilize $C_1$ compounds and a variety of multicarbon substrates as sole carbon and energy source. To obtain cells of isolate with high threonine producing activity, we investigated optimum cultural conditions. Optimal growth was at the initial concentration of 0.5%(v/v) methanol, at $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0. The growth was not affected by antibiotics inhibiting cell wall synthesis, but was completely suppressed by those inhibiting protein synthesis. The optimum reaction conditions from threonine production by resting cells of this strain were found.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.695-702
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• 2005

The groESL bicistronic operon of a restricted facultative methylotrophic bacterium Methylovorus sp. strain SS1 DSM 11726 was cloned and characterized. It was found to consist of two ORFs encoding proteins with molecular masses of 11,395 and 57,396 daltons, which showed a high degree of homology to other bacterial GroES and GroEL proteins. The genes were clustered in the transcription order groES-groEL. Northern blot analyses suggested that the groESL operon is transcribed as a bicistronic 2.2-kb mRNA, the steady-state level of which was markedly increased by temperature elevation. Primer extension analysis demonstrated one potential transcription start site preceding the groESL operon, which is located 100bp upstream of the groES start codon. The transcription start site was preceded by a putative promoter region highly homologous to the consensus sequences of Escherichia coli ${\sigma}^{32}$-type heat shock promoter, which functioned under both normal and heat shock conditions in E. coli. Heat shock mRNA was maximally produced by Methylovorus sp. strain SS1 approximately 10min after increasing the temperature from 30 to $42^{\circ}C$. The groESL operon was also induced by hydrogen peroxide or salt shock.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.163-163
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• 2008

Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans $MP^T$, a restricted facultative marine methylotrophic bacterium, was able to utilize methanol as a sole carbon and energy source, and possessed a methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) that is a key enzyme in the process of methanol oxidation. During purification of MDH, three types of MDH (MDH I, II, and III) were obtained in the cell free extracts from $MP^T$ cells grown on methanol. When analyzed by SDS-PAGE and ESI-FT ICR MS, MDH I was confirmed to consist of two subunits and with molecular masses of ~66 and ~10 kDa, respectively, in a form of ${\alpha}_2{\beta}_2$. While MDH II and MDH III contained an additional ~30 kDa protein, designated ${\gamma}$, in a form of ${\alpha}_2{\beta}_2{\gamma}$ and ${\alpha}_2{\beta}_2{\gamma}_2$, respectively. MDH III showed 1.5.2.0 times higher activity than MDH II, while MDH I remained the lowest activity. Based on these observations and experimental data, it seems that the original MDH conformation is ${\alpha}_2{\beta}_2{\gamma}2$ within $MP^T$ growing on methanol, and subunit ${\gamma}$ keeps MDH in an active form, and/or makes MDH easily bind to the substrate, methanol.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.819-825
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• 2002

Methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) is a key enzyme in the process of methanol oxidation in methylotrophic bacteria. However, information on MDH genes from genus Methylobacillus is limited. In this study, a 6.5-kb HindIII DNA fragment of Methylobacillus sp. SK-5 chromosomal DNA was isolated from the genomic library of the strain by using a degenerate oligonucleotide probe that was designed based on JV-terminal amino acid sequence of the MDH $\alpha$ subunit purified from the strain. Molecular analysis of the fragment revealed four tightly clustered genes (mxaFJGI) involved in the methanol oxidation. The first and fourth genes were very similar to mxaF (77% identity for nucleotides an 78% identity for amino acids) and mxaF (67% Identity for nucleotides and 68% Identity for amino acids) genes, respectively, from Methylovorus sp. SSI. Genes mxaF and mxaI encode $\alpha$ and $\beta$ subunits of MDH, respectively. The two subunits were identified from purified MDH from Methylobacillus sp. SK-5. A dendrogram constructed by comparison of amino acid sequences of MDH u subunits suggests that MxaF from Methylobacillus sp. SK-5 belongs to a subfamily cluster of MDH u subunits from $\beta$-subgroup Proteobacteria. The subfamily cluster is separated from the other subfamily that consists of $\beta$- and $\gamma$-subgroup Proteobacteria. This study provided information on mn genes from a methylotrophic bacterium in $\beta$-subgroup Proteobacteria, which would aid to better develop a gene probe to detect one-carbon metabolizing bacteria.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.212-218
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• 1998

An obligately methylotrophic bacterium which produces extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) was isolated through methanol-enrichment culture technique. The isolate was aerobic, nonmotile, and gram negative rod and exibited catalase, but no oxidase, activity. Plasmid, carotenoid, and poly-${\beta}$-hydroxybutyric acid were not found. The guanine plus cytosine content of DNA was 52-56%. The isolate was found to grow only on methanol and monomethylamine. Growth was optimal ($t_d=2.4h$) at $35^{\circ}C$ and pH 6.5 in a mineral medium containing 0.5% (v/v) methanol, 25 mM phosphate, and 0.212% ammonium sulfate. Methanol was assimilated through the ribulose monophosphate pathway. Maximun amount of EPS was produced in cells growing at the mid-stationary growth phase at $30^{\circ}C$ in a mineral medium (PH 6.5) containing 1.0% (v/v) methanol in the CIN ratio of 54.7. Thin-layer chromatographic and high performance liquid chromatographic analysis revealed that the EPS was composed of glucose and galactose. EPS which was not treated with ethanol (Pbe) exhibited stable viscosity under various concentrations of salts and temperatures hut showed high viscosity at low pH. EPS precipitated with ethanol (Pae) was found to be more stable in viscosity than the Pbe at various salt concentrations, temperatures, and pH. The Pae also exhibited higher viscosity than the Pbe and xanthan gum. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the lyophilized Pbe and Pae have a multi-layered structure and a structure of thick fibers, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.476-482
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• 2002

Methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) and c-type cytochromes from marine methanol-oxidizing bacterium, Methylophaga sp. MP, were purified and characterized. The native MDH had a molecular mass of 148 kDa and its isoelectric point was 5.5. Two c-type cytochromes, $c_L\;and\;c_H$, were found, and their isoelectric points were 3.4 and 8.0, respectively. The purified MDH had higher thermal stability than that of the other soil methylotrophic bacteria. The electron flow rate from MDH to cytochrome $c_L$was higher than that from MDH to cytochrome $c_H$, indicating that the physiological primary electron acceptor for MDH is cytochrome $c_L$. The electron transfer from MDH to phenazine ethosulfate (PES, artificial electron acceptor) in the two dye (PES/DCPIP)-linked assay system was not inhibited by NaCl, whereas the electron flow from MDH to cytochrome $c_L$ in the cytochrome/DCPIP-linked assay system was suppressed significantly by NaCl. Metal chelating agents such as EDTA showed the same effects on the MDH activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1261-1271
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• 2020

Cytochrome c_L (Cytc_L) is an essential protein in the process of methanol oxidation in methylotrophs. It receives an electron from the pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) cofactor of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) to produce formaldehyde. The direct electron transfer mechanism between Cytc_L and MDH remains unknown due to the lack of structural information. To help gain a better understanding of the mechanism, we determined the first crystal structure of heme c containing Cytc_L from the aquatic methylotrophic bacterium Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans MP^T at 2.13 Å resolution. The crystal structure of Ma-Cytc_L revealed its unique features compared to those of the terrestrial homologues. Apart from Fe in heme, three additional metal ion binding sites for Na⁺, Ca⁺, and Fe²⁺ were found, wherein the ions mostly formed coordination bonds with the amino acid residues on the loop (G93-Y111) that interacts with heme. Therefore, these ions seemed to enhance the stability of heme insertion by increasing the loop's steadiness. The basic N-terminal end, together with helix α4 and loop (G126 to Y136), contributed positive charge to the region. In contrast, the acidic C-terminal end provided a negatively charged surface, yielding several electrostatic contact points with partner proteins for electron transfer. These exceptional features of Ma-Cytc_L, along with the structural information of MDH, led us to hypothesize the need for an adapter protein bridging MDH to Cytc_L within appropriate proximity for electron transfer. With this knowledge in mind, the methanol oxidation complex reconstitution in vitro could be utilized to produce metabolic intermediates at the industry level.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.273-279
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• 1990

For poly- $\beta$ -hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production, a pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacterium (PPFM) P-10 was newly isolated from soils through methanol-enrichment culture. The optimal medium composition for cell growth was 1.0% (vlv) of methanol as carbon source and l.Og/l of ,TEX>$NH_4Cl$, equivalent to C/N ratio of 13.2 at pH 7.0 and $30^{\circ}C$. To investigate the optimal condition for YHB accumulation, two-stage culture technique was adopted; first stage for cell growth and second stage for accumulation of PHB providing unbalanced growth conditions. The optimal PHB accumulation was 1.0% (vIv) of methanol and 0.26gll of $NH_4Cl$, C/N of 50.8 at pH 6.0. To overcome methanol inhibition on cell growth, intermittent feeding fed-batch culture technique was employed, and the cell concentration as high as 14gll with 40% of PHB was achieved. The purified PHB was identified using IR and $1^H NMR$ as homopolymer of 8hydroxybutyric acid. The absorption spectrum of extracted pink colored microbial pigment was alsa investigated.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 1989

A pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacterium, Methylobacterium sp. strain SY1, was isolated from soil through methanol-enrichment culture technique. The isolate was gram-negative, slightly curved rod, and motile by a single polarly inserted flagellum. The colony was smooth, bright pink, and slimy. The guanine plus cytosine content of the KNA was 66%. The cell was obigately aerobic and exhibited both catalase and oxidase activities. Carotenoid pigment and poly-$\beta$-hydroxybutyrate were present. It was found to have three kinds of plasmid with molecular weights 45,000, 38,500 and 23,000. Growth with methanol(0.5%) was fast ($t_{d}$=6.5h) and was optimal at $30^{\circ}C$ and at pH 7.0. The isolate could grow on several sugars, organic acids, amino acids, amines, and alcohols in addition to the methanol. Methanol was found to be assimilated through the serine pathway.