• 식물병연구
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.222-226
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• 2015

The chitinase-producing bacterial strain C-1 is one of the key chitinase-producing biocontrol agents used for effective bioformulations for biological control. These bioformulations are mixed cultures of various chitinolytic bacteria. However, the precise identification, biocontrol activity, and the underlying mechanisms of the strain C-1 have not been investigated so far. Therefore, we evaluated in planta biocontrol efficacies of C-1 and determined the draft genome sequence of the strain in this study. The bacterial C-1 strain was identified as a novel Serratia sp. by a phylogenic analysis of its 16S rRNA sequence. The Serratia sp. C-1 bacterial cultures showed strong in planta biocontrol efficacies against some major phytopathogenic fungal diseases. The draft genome sequence of Serratia sp. C-1 indicated that the C-1 strain is a novel strain harboring a subset of genes that may be involved in its biocontrol activities.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.47.1-47.13
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• 2022

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative bacterium that is known for causing infection in nosocomial settings. As reported by the World Health Organization, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, a category that includes K. pneumoniae, are classified as an urgent threat, and the greatest concern is that these bacterial pathogens may acquire genetic traits that make them resistant towards antibiotics. The last class of antibiotics, carbapenems, are not able to combat these bacterial pathogens, allowing them to clonally expand antibiotic-resistant strains. Most antibiotics target essential pathways of bacterial cells; however, these targets are no longer susceptible to antibiotics. Hence, in our study, we focused on a hypothetical protein in K. pneumoniae that contains a DNA methylation protein domain, suggesting a new potential site as a drug target. DNA methylation regulates the attenuation of bacterial virulence. We integrated computational-aided drug design by using a bioinformatics approach to perform subtractive genomics, virtual screening, and fingerprint similarity search. We identified a new potential drug, koenimbine, which could be a novel antibiotic.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.255-264
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• 2016

The plethora of genome sequence information of bacteria in recent times has ushered in many novel strategies for antibacterial drug discovery and facilitated medical science to take up the challenge of the increasing resistance of pathogenic bacteria to current antibiotics. In this study, we adopted subtractive genomics approach to analyze the whole genome sequence of the Fusobacterium nucleatum, a human oral pathogen having association with colorectal cancer. Our study divulged 1,499 proteins of F. nucleatum, which have no homolog's in human genome. These proteins were subjected to screening further by using the Database of Essential Genes (DEG) that resulted in the identification of 32 vitally important proteins for the bacterium. Subsequent analysis of the identified pivotal proteins, using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Automated Annotation Server (KAAS) resulted in sorting 3 key enzymes of F. nucleatum that may be good candidates as potential drug targets, since they are unique for the bacterium and absent in humans. In addition, we have demonstrated the three dimensional structure of these three proteins. Finally, determination of ligand binding sites of the 2 key proteins as well as screening for functional inhibitors that best fitted with the ligands sites were conducted to discover effective novel therapeutic compounds against F. nucleatum.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.15-20
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• 2010

A Gram negative, aerobic, nonspore-forming, straight or curved rod-shaped bacterium, designated Gsoil $317^T$, was isolated from soil of a ginseng field in Pocheon Province (South Korea) and was characterized using a polyphasic approach. Cells were dimorphic, with stalk (or prostheca) and nonmotile or nonstalked and motile, by means of a single polar flagellum. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain Gsoil $317^T$ was most closely related to Caulobacter mirabilis LMG $24261^T$ (97.2%), Caulobacter fusiformis ATCC $15257^T$ (97.1 %), Caulobacter segnis LMG $17158^T$ (97.0%), Caulobacter vibrioides DSM $9893^T$ (96.8%), and Caulobacter henricii ATCC $15253^T$ (96.7%). The sequence similarities to any other recognized species within Alphaproteobacteria were less than 96.0%. The detection of Q-10 as the major respiratory quinone and a fatty acid profile with summed feature 7 ($C_{18:1}\;{\omega}7c$ and/or $C_{18:1}\;{\omega}9t$ and/or $C_{18:1}\;{\omega}12t;$ 56.6%) and $C_{16:0}$ (15.9%) as the major fatty acids supported the affiliation of strain Gsoil $317^T$ to the genus Caulobacter. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 65.5 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments showed that the DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain Gsoil $317^T$ and its closest phylogenetic neighbors were below 11%. On the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain Gsoil $317^T$ should be classified as representing a novel species in the genus Caulobacter, for which the name Caulobacter ginsengisoli sp. novo is proposed. The type strain is Gsoil $317^T$ (=KCTC $12788^T=DSM\;18695^T$).

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.8-16
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• 2013

An agar-hydrolyzing marine bacterium, strain GNUM08120, was isolated from Sargassum fulvellum collected from Yeongil bay of East Sea of Korea. The isolate was Gram-negative, aerobic, motile with single polar flagellum, and grew at 1-10% NaCl, pH 5.0-8.0, and $15-37^{\circ}C$. G+C content and the predominant respiratory quinone were 46.13 mol% and Q-8, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids were Summed feature 3 (24.5%), $C_{16:0}$ (21.7%), and $C_{18:1}{\omega}7c$ (12.5%). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity and DNA-DNA hybridization analyses, strain GNUM08120 was identified as a novel subspecies of Alteromonas macleodii, designated Alteromonas macleodii subsp. GNUM08120. Production of agarase by strain GNUM08120 was likely repressed by the effect of carbon catabolite repression caused by glucose. The crude agarase prepared from 12-h culture broth of strain GNUM08120 exhibited an optimum pH and temperature for agarase activity at 7.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. The crude enzyme produced (neo)agarobiose, (neo)agarotetraose, and (neo)agarohexaose as the hydrolyzed product of agarose.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권10호
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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.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제24권7호
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• pp.905-913
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• 2014

Lj-RGD3, an RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) toxin protein from the salivary gland of Lampetra japonica, exhibits antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Lj-RGD3 has three RGD motifs and shows homology to histidine-rich glycoprotein. We synthesised two mutant derivatives of Lj-RGD3: Lj-26, which lacks all three RGD motifs and contains no His residues; and Lj-112, which lacks only the three RGD motifs. We investigated the effects of the wild-type and mutated toxins on a gram-positive bacterium (Escherichia coli), a gram-negative bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus), and a fungus (C. albicans). rLj-RGD3 and its mutants exhibited antifungal but not antibacterial activity, as measured by a radial diffusion assay. The C. albicans inhibition zone induced by rLj-112 was larger than that induced by the other proteins, and its inhibitory effect on C. albicans was dose-dependent. In viable-count assays, the rLj-112 MIC was $7.7{\mu}M$, whereas the MIC of the positive control (ketoconazole) was $15{\mu}M$. Time-kill kinetics demonstrated that rLj-112 effectively killed C. albicans at $1{\times}$ and $2{\times}$ MIC within 12 and 6 h, respectively. Electron microscopy analysis showed that rLj-RGD3 and rLj-112 induced C. albicans lysis. Our results demonstrate a novel anticandidal activity for rLj-RGD3 and its mutant derivatives.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.913-918
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• 2007

A Gram-positive, aerobic, rod-shaped, nonmotile, endospore-forming bacterium, designated Gsoil $349^T$, was isolated from soil of a ginseng field and characterized using a polyphasic approach. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strain Gsoil $349^T$ belongs to the family Paenibacillaceae, and the sequence showed closest similarity with Cohnella thermotolerans DSM $17683^T$ (94.1%) and Cohnella hongkongensis DSM $17642^T$ (93.6%). The strain showed less than 91.3% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Paenibacillus species. In addition, the presence of MK-7 as the major menaquinone and $anteiso-C_{15:0},\;iso-C_{16:0},\;and\;C_{16:0}$ as major fatty acids suggested its affiliation to the genus Cohnella. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 53.4 mol%. On the basis of its phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain Gsoil $349^T$ should be treated as a novel species within the genus Cohnella for which the name Cohnella panacarvi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Gsoil $349^T\;(=KCTC\;13060^T=\;DSM\;18696^T)$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권7호
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• pp.963-977
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• 2015

The well-characterized gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is an outstanding industrial candidate for protein expression owing to its single membrane and high capacity of secretion, simplifying the downstream processing of secretory proteins. During the last few years, there has been continuous progress in the illustration of secretion mechanisms and application of this robust host in various fields of life science, such as enzyme production, feed additives, and food and pharmaceutical industries. Here, we review the developments of Bacillus subtilis as a highly promising expression system illuminating strong chemical- and temperatureinducible and other types of promoters, strategies for ribosome-binding-site utilization, and the novel approach of signal peptide selection. Furthermore, we outline the main steps of the Sec pathway and the relevant elements as well as their interactions. In addition, we introduce the latest discoveries of Tat-related complex structures and functions and the countless applications of this full-folded protein secretion pathway. This review also lists some of the current understandings of ATP-binding cassette transporters. According to the extensive knowledge on the genetic modification strategies and molecular biology of Bacillus subtilis, we propose some suggestions and strategies for improving the yield of intended productions. We expect this to promote striking future developments in the optimization and application of this bacterium.

• 한국버섯학회지
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.8-13
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• 2017

An auxin-producing bacterial strain, designated 4-3, was isolated from waste button mushroom compost in Boryeong-si, Chungnam. The strain 4-3 was classified as a novel strain of Leucobacter tardus, based on chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses. TLC and HPLC the isolated L. tardus strain 4-3 produced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), the auxin. Maximum IAA productionof $94.3mg\;L^{-1}$ was detected for bacteria cultured in R2A medium with 0.1% l-tryptophan, incubated for 24 h at $35^{\circ}C$. Negative correlationwas observed between IAA production and pH of the culture medium, indicating that the increase inIAA caused acidification ofthe medium. The effect of supplementation with varying concentrations of l-tryptophan, a known precursor of IAA, was also assessed. production was maximal at 0.1% l, but decreased at lconcentrations above 0.2%. To investigate the plant growth-promoting effects of the bacterium, L. tardus strain 4-3 culture broth was used to inoculate water cultures and seed pots of mung bean. We found thatadventitious root induction and root growth were 2.2-times higher in thethan in the non-inoculated plants.