• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1385-1394
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• 2024

Collagenolytic proteases are widely used in the food, medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and textile industries. Mesophilic collagenases exhibit collagenolytic activity under physiological conditions, but have limitations in efficiently degrading collagen-rich wastes, such as collagen from fish scales, at high temperatures due to their poor thermostability. Bacterial collagenolytic proteases are members of various proteinase families, including the bacterial collagenolytic metalloproteinase M9 and the bacterial collagenolytic serine proteinase families S1, S8, and S53. Notably, the C-terminal domains of collagenolytic proteases, such as the pre-peptidase C-terminal domain, the polycystic kidney disease-like domain, the collagen-binding domain, the proprotein convertase domain, and the β-jelly roll domain, exhibit collagen-binding or -swelling activity. These activities can induce conformational changes in collagen or the enzyme active sites, thereby enhancing the collagen-degrading efficiency. In addition, thermostable bacterial collagenolytic proteases can function at high temperatures, which increases their degradation efficiency since heat-denatured collagen is more susceptible to proteolysis and minimizes the risk of microbial contamination. To date, only a few thermophile-derived collagenolytic proteases have been characterized. TSS, a thermostable and halotolerant subtilisin-like serine collagenolytic protease, exhibits high collagenolytic activity at 60℃. In this review, we present and summarize the current research on A) the classification and nomenclature of thermostable and mesophilic collagenolytic proteases derived from diverse microorganisms, and B) the functional roles of their C-terminal domains. Furthermore, we analyze the cleavage specificity of the thermostable collagenolytic proteases within each family and comprehensively discuss the thermostable collagenolytic protease TSS.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 1982

Among 12 kinds of ginsenosides in ginseng saponin, ginsenoside-Rb$_1$was contained the most abundantly. But ginsenoside-Rd which is similar to ginsenoside-Rb$_1$in structure, was known to be superior to ginsenoside-Rb$_1$pharmaceutically. In order to convert ginsenoside-Rb$_1$into ginsenoside-Rd by microbial enzyme treatment, a Rhizopus sp. was selected among various strais of molds found in rotten ginseng roots. Enzyme was prepared from the extract of wheat bran koji culture by ammonium sulfate precipitation (1.0 sat'd) and succeeding ammonium sulfate fractionation method (0.6-0.9 sat'd). For the purpose of use as substrate, saponins were purified by the several purification steps from alcohol extract of red ginseng roots. We obtained the total saponin which was composed of 36.5% of ginsenoside Rb$_1$, 12.2% of ginsenoside-Rd and other ginsenosides. For increase of ginsenoside-Rb$_1$ component ratio, we also obtained further purified ginsenoside-Rb group saponin containing 54.5% of ginsenoside-Rb$_1$, 1.1% of ginsenoside- Rd and other ginsenosides from purified the total saponin. In the enzymatic reaction system including the total saponin or the ginsenoside-Rb group saponin, we confirmed the specific conversion of ginsenoside-Rb$_1$to ginsenoside-Rd proportionally and no change of any other ginsenoside patterns by thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.656-660
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• 2013

Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL0145A was discovered at the New York State Museum Field Research Laboratory as an effective agent against the environmentally destructive zebra mussel, which has contaminated US waters. Dried cells of the microbe are being commercialized as an environmentally friendly solution to the problem. We found that antibiotic activity against the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is produced and excreted by this strain. We have carried out studies to optimize production of the antibiotic. Studies were begun in a complex corn meal medium. Activity was found in both cells and culture supernates and was maximal after one day of fermentation. Static fermentation conditions were found to be superior to shaken culture. Production of extracellular antibiotic in complex medium was found to be dependent on the content of sucrose and enzyme-hydrolyzed casein. Indeed, production was greater in sucrose plus enzyme-hydrolyzed casein than in the complex medium. Of a large number of carbon sources studied as improvements over sucrose, the best was glycerol. An examination of nitrogen sources showed that production was improved by replacement of enzyme-hydrolyzed casein with soy hydrolysates. Production in the simple glycerol-Hy-Soy medium was not improved by addition of an inorganic salt mixture or by complex nitrogen sources, with the exception of malt extract. In an attempt to keep the medium more defined, we studied the effect of amino acids and vitamins as replacements for malt extract. Of 21 amino acids and 7 vitamins, we found tryptophan, glutamine, biotin, and riboflavin to be stimulatory. The final medium contained glycerol, Hy-Soy, tryptophan, glutamine, biotin, and riboflavin.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 1981

For the utilization of natural cellulosic materials by microorganisms, a potent cellulase-producing microorganism was isolated and identified as Trichoderma spp. Rice straw used as a substrate in this study was preliminarily treated with chemical solvents and/or additionally treated with acids and by heat, and then examined with the cellulase produced by the organism. Better results in sugar production by decomposing the straw cellulose were obtained, when the cellulase was produced by cultivating the organism in the selection medium, pH 5.0, for 5 days, and when the pretreated straw substrate was additionally treated with 0.1% $H_2SO_4$ sulfuric acid at $120^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The enzyme production was increased by about 20%, when 0.5% urea 0.5% phosphate, 0.1% meat extract, or 5% orange peel was added into the culture medium. For the practical purposes, the sugar production from the rice straw by the cellulase-producing microorganism can be improved by extending the reaction time of the enzyme up to 24 hr or longer.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1339-1347
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• 2003

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of microbial phytase ($Natuphos^{(R)}$) supplementation in combination with carbohydrases (composed of enzymes targeted to soybean meal (SBM) dietary components such as $\alpha$-galactosides and galactomannans; $Endo-Power^{(R)}$) to corn-soybean meal based diet (CSD) and complex diet (CD) with a partial replacement of SBM with rape seed meal (RSM) and cotton seed meal (CSM) on growth performance and nutrient digestibility of growing pigs. A total of 168 growing pigs averaging $13.18{\pm}1.77kg$ of initial body weight was arranged as a $2{\times}2$ factorial design with main effects of diet types (corn-SBM based diet (CSD) and complex diets (CD; 5% of SBM was replaced with 2.5% of RSM and 2.5% of CSM in diet for phase I (0 to 3 weeks) and 6% of SBM was replaced with 3% of RSM and 3% of CSM in diet for phase II (4 to 7 weeks))) and enzyme supplementation (none and 0.1% of phytase (500 FTU/kg diet) and 0.1% of carbohydrases). The diet with enzyme application were formulated to have a 0.18% unit lower aP than diets without enzyme application. Each treatment had three replicates with 14 pigs per replicate. To determine supplementation effect of phytase and carbohydrases on ileal amino acid digestibility of SBM, RSM and CSM, a total of 18 T-cannulated pigs (initial body weight; $13.52{\pm}1.24kg$) were assigned to six dietary treatments in the present study. Dietary treatments in metabolic trial included 1) SBM diet, 2) SBM diet+with enzymes (phytase (500 FTU/kg) and carbohydrases at 0.1%, respectively), 3) CSM diet, 4) CSM diet+enzymes, 5) RSM diet and 6) RSM diet+enzymes. During whole experimental period (0 to 7 wks), there was no difference in growth performance between diets (CSD and CD). However, dietary phytase and carbohydrases supplementation significantly improved gain/feed ratio (G:F) of growing pigs. During the phase II (4-7 weeks), dietary phytase and carbohydrases supplementation significantly improved all fecal nutrient digestibilities (Dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE), crude protein (CP), crude fat (CF), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P)). Dietary phytase and carbohydrases supplementation improved significantly overall ileal amino acid digestibilities of SBM, RSM and CSM based diets (p<0.05). The simultaneous inclusion of phytase and carbohydrases in both of CSD and CD reduced feed cost per kg body weight gain (FCG). Also, results suggest that 2.5 to 3% of RSM and CSM, respectively, might be used as a protein source in growing pig diets without having an adverse effect on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility and simultaneous phytase and carbohydrases addition improves nutritional value of SBM, RSM and CSM by improving ileal amino acid digestibilities.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.373-378
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• 2010

Studies on standardization and quality upgrade of nuruk which is a basic component in brewing are required to increase the quality level of Korean traditional rice wines and to develop the technology for practical use of it. It is important to isolate best strains, to improve the properties and effectively preserve them for brewing industry. In this study, 16 commercial nuruk samples were obtained from the commercial markets located in Chungcheong areas in Korea. 174 fungal strains were isolated from the samples on DG18 medium using a dilution plating method and then screened for enzyme activity and acid production. The active strains were identified based on the morphological characteristics and ITS sequence analysis. Out of 174 strains, 12 strains showed high amylase activity. Especially, Rhizopus sp. CN084, CN174, Aspergillus sp. CN161 and Mycocladus sp. CN042 showed high saccharogenic power and dextrinogenic enzyme activity on cooked wheat bran medium. On the other hand, Aspergillus sp. CN010, CN161, Rhizopus sp. CN105, CN168 and Rhizomucor sp. CN088 produced high acid production on the same medium. Our results showed that the active strains may be used as microbial sources for nuruk starter with good quality in brewing.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.264-270
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• 2001

In order to improve the quality of traditional kochujang, condiments like garlic and onion were added to kochujang and their effect on microbial characteristics, enzyme activities and taste components were investigated during fermentation. Viable cells of yeasts in the kochujang decreased with the increasing ratio of garlic. However, aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts did not show any remarkable differences in the garlic or onion added kochujang, they decreased slowly after $6{\sim}10$ weeks of fermentation. The activity of liquefying amylase in kochujang decreased slowly during $2{\sim}10$ weeks of fermentation, but that of saccharifying amylase increased remarkably at $14{\sim}18$ weeks. Amylase activities increased at the late period of fermentation in garlic or onion added kochujang. Protease activities of kochujang were strong in the middle of fermentation, but they decreased by addition of garlic or onion. The major free sugars in kochujang were glucose and fructose, and their contents increased as the ratio of garlic increased. The major organic acids in kochujang were succinic, malic and oxalic acid, and they also decreased by addition of garlic and onion. The contents of total free amino acids and amino nitrogen were the highest in 2% garlic added kochujang. The major free amino acid were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, alanine, leucine, isoleucine and arginine. Serine, glutamic acid, lysine and arginine contents in increased by adding garlic or onion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1050-1057
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• 1997

Microbial counts, enzyme activities and taste components of traditional kochujangs prepared with the powders from 4 different varieties of red pepper, were investigated during 90 days fermentation for the industrial production of traditional kochujang. The viable cell counts of anaerobic bacteria in kochujangs did not change remarkably during fermentation, however, aerobic bacterial counts showed a rapid increase up to 90 days of aging. The yeasts in all kochujang samples increased until 60 days of aging and than decreased. After 90 days of aging, the count of aerobic bacteria in Kumtop kochujang was higher than those of others. The activities of liquefying amylase decreased during the aging, but those of saccharogenic amylase increased at 60 days of aging. The activities of neutral protease were higher than those of acidic protease, and increased during the middle and last period of aging. The major free sugars of kochujang were maltose and glucose, and their contents were higher in Hongkwang kochujang. The major organic acids of kochujang were succinic, formic and citric acid, followed by lactic acid. Succinic acid content in kochujang decreased during fermentation, whereas formic and citirc acids were increased. The major free amino acids were serine, proline, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and alanine. Kumtop kochujang contained the highest amount of total free amino acids. Among the nucleotides and related components in kochujang, cytidine-5-monophosphate was the most abundant component at the begining of aging period, while hypoxanthine increased remarkably during fermentation. Hanwang kochujang was higher in the content of nucleotides than others. Capsaicin contents of kochujang decreased during aging and those of Jangter kochujang was higher than that of others. Sensory evaluation showed that Jangter kochujang was significantly better than Kumtop kochujang in overall acceptability, but there were no appreciable differences in color and flavor.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2007

Diversity of the mud flat microbial population in Suncheon Bay was investigated by studying extracellular enzyme activities and 16S rDNA sequences. Four culturable bacterial strains with CMCase, xylanase and protease activities were isolated from the wetland and the mud flat. All the strains produced more xylanase activity than CMCase or protease activity, and the properties of the isolate enzymes from the wetland were similar to those from the mud flat. About 2,000 clones were obtained with the 16S rDNA amplified from the metagenomic DNA isolated from the mud samples. Based on the restriction pattern(s), seventeen clones were selected for base sequence analysis. Of the 17 clones, only 35% (6 clones) were found to be cultured strains and 65% (11 clones) to be uncultured strains. The similarities in the base sequences of the clones ranged from 91.0% to 99.9% with an average similarity of 97.3%. The clones could be divided into 7 groups, Proteobacteria (9 clones, 52.9%), Firmicutes (3 clones, 17.6%), Bacteroidetes (1 clone), Flavobacteria (1 clone), Verrucomicrobia (1 clone), Acidobacteria (1 clone), and Chloroflexi (1 clone). Most of the Proteobacteria clones were gamma Proteobacteria associated with oxidation-reduction of sulfur.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.97-107
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• 2015

Wetlands constitute a transitional zone between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and have unique characteristics such as frequent inundation, inflow of nutrients from terrestrial ecosystems, presence of plants adapted to grow in water, and soil that is occasionally oxygen deficient due to saturation. These characteristics and the presence of vegetation determine physical and chemical properties that affect decomposition rates of organic matter (OM). Decomposition of OM is associated with activities of various extracellular enzymes (EE) produced by bacteria and fungi. Extracellular enzymes convert macromolecules to simple compounds such as labile organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) that can be easily taken up by microbes and plants. Therefore, the enzymatic approach is helpful to understand the decomposition rates of OM and nutrient cycling in wetland soils. This paper reviews the physical and biogeochemical factors that regulate extracellular enzyme activities (EEa) in wetland soils, including those of ${\beta}$-glucosidase, ${\beta}$-N-acetylglucosaminidase, phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and phenol oxidase that decompose organic matter and release C, N, P, and S nutrients for microbial and plant growths. Effects of pH, water table, and particle size of OM on EEa were not significantly different among sites, whereas the influence of temperature on EEa varied depending on microbial acclimation to extreme temperatures. Addition of C, N, or P affected EEa differently depending on the nutrient state, C:N ratio, limiting factors, and types of enzymes of wetland soils. Substrate quality influenced EEa more significantly than did other factors. Also, drainage of wetland and increased temperature due to global climate change can stimulate phenol oxidase activity, and anthropogenic N deposition can enhance the hydrolytic EEa; these effects increase OM decomposition rates and emissions of $CO_2$ and $CH_4$ from wetland systems. The researches on the relationship between microbial structures and EE functions, and environmental factors controlling EEa can be helpful to manipulate wetland ecosystems for treating pollutants and to monitor wetland ecosystem services.