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A marine bacterial strain that degraded fucoidan from Ecklonia cava was isolated from seawater. The crude fucoidanase of this strain efficiently degraded fucoidan at pH 8 and . The crude enzyme hydrolyzed 7.1% (w/w) fucoidan within 24 hrs from an 1% (w/v) fucoidan solution and produced oligosaccharides by endo-type hydrolysis as the reaction products. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and biochemical tests permitted a tentative identification of strain SB 1493 as a Pseudoalteromonas species.

Kumjungsansung-Makgeolli ® is a traditional Korean rice wine that is fermented from traditional nuruk and rice. In this study, we performed the PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis targeting the 16S and 28S rRNA genes to characterize bacterial and fungal diversity during Makgeolli fermentation. The predominant bacteria in the PCR-DGGE profile during Makgeolli fermentation were Lactobacillus spp. (Lactobacillus curvatus, L. kisonensis, L. plantarum, L. sakei, and L. gasseri), Pediococcus spp. (P. acidilactici, P. parvulus, P. agglomerans, and P. pentosaceus), Pantoea spp. (P. agglomerans and P. ananatis), and Citrobacter freundii; these were identified on the base of analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. The dominant bacterium during Makgeolli fermentation was L. curvatus. The predominant fungi in PCR-DGGE profile during Makgeolli fermentation were Pichia kudriavzevii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Asidia idahoensis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, and Torulaspora delbrueckii, and these were identified on the basis of analysis of 28S rRNA gene sequences. The dominant fungal species during Makgeolli fermentation changed from P. kudriavzevii at 0-2 days incubation to S. cerevisiae at 3-6 days incubation. This study suggests that PCR-DGGE analysis could be a suitable tool for the understanding of microbial diversity and structure during Makgeolli fermentation.

Nuruk plays a significant role in the flavor and quality of Takju and Yakju, which are produced through saccharification and alcohol fermentation by various microorganisms. In this study, we identified microbial strains isolated from a plate count and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis targeting the 16S and 28S rRNA genes, in order to characterize bacterial and fungal diversity in Sansung Nuruk. The numbers of bacteria and fungi in Nuruk were CFU/g and CFU/g, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the predominant bacteria in the isolates and PCR-DGGE profile of Nuruk were Kocuria spp., Pantoea spp., Lactobacillus spp., Pediococcus spp., Weissella spp., Staphylococcus spp., endophytic bacterium, uncultured Gamma-proteobacteria, uncultured Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Dominant bacteria from the PCR-DGGE profile were Pediococcous pentosaceus and uncultured Cyanobacteria. The 28S rRNA gene sequence indicated the predominant fungi in the isolates and PCR-DGGE profile to be Trichomonascus spp. Pichia spp., Torulaspora spp., Wickerhamomyces spp., Sacharomycopsis spp., Lichtheimia spp., Mucor spp., Rhizopus spp. Aspergillus spp., and Cladosporium spp. Dominant fungi from the PCR-DGGE profile were Pichia kudriavzevii and Aspergillus oryzae. The PCR-DGGE technique was used for the first time in this study to assess a microbial community in Nuruk and proved to be an effective protocol for profiling microbial diversity.

유류분해에 있어 혼합미생물제제의 효과를 평가하기 위해 미생물제제의 처리성능과 microcosm test를 수행하였다. 유류분해세균은 0.5% Arabian heavy crude oil을 유일 탄소원으로 제공된 최소배지를 이용한 연속적인 농후배양을 통하여 분리하였다. 우수 유류분해 미생물조합인 3종의 균주(BS1, BS2, BS4)는 MSM배지에서 5일의 배양기간 동안 지방족 탄화수소를 48.4%, 방향족 탄화수소를 30.5% 생분해하였다. 처리성능 및 microcosm test는 Arabian heavy crude oil을 첨가한 후 3가지 처리조건인 무처리, 무기영양염처리 그리고 무기영양염 및 혼합미생물처리조건에서 유류화합물의 생물분해에 미치는 영향을 조사하였다. 무기영양염처리구와 무기영양염 및 혼합미생물처리구에서 지방족 탄화수소의 분해율은 실험기간 동안 유의하게 향상되었으며 두 실험구간 유의한 차이는 관찰되지 않았다. 그러나 무기영양염 및 혼합미생물처리구에서 방향족 탄화수소의 생분해율은 무기영양염제만을 처리한 시험구와 비교하여 처리성능 시험의 경우 50% 그리고 microcosm test의 경우 13%를 향상시켰다. 본 연구의 결과로부터 혼합미생물제제는 실험실, 처리성능 및 microcosm test에서 지방족뿐만 아니라 방향족 탄화수소의 생물분해를 촉진하였다. 특히 혼합미생물제제는 방향족 탄화수소의 제거를 위한 생물정화기술의 적용에 있어 유용한 도구로 판단된다. 【To evaluate the effects of microorganism agents on oil biodegradation, treatability and microcosm studies were conducted. Petroleum oil degrading bacteria were isolated from enriched cultures of oil-contaminated sediment samples using a mineral salts medium (MSM) containing 0.5% Arabian heavy crude oil as the sole carbon source. After a 5 day-incubation period using MSM, mixed microorganisms of three species (strains BS1, BS2 and BS4) degraded 48.4% of aliphatic hydrocarbons and 30.5% of aromatic hydrocarbons. Treatability and microcosm tests were performed in the three different treatment conditions (AO: Arabian heavy crude oil, AO+IN: Arabian heavy crude oil+inorganic nutrient, AO+IN+MM: Arabian heavy crude oil+inorganic nutrient+mixed microorganism agents). Among these, significantly enhanced biodegradation of aliphatic hydrocarbons were observed in AO+IN and AO+IN+MM conditions, without showing any different biodegradation rates in either condition. However, the degradation rates of aromatic hydrocarbons in an AO+IN+MM condition were increased by 50% in the treatability test and by 13% in the microcosm test compared to those in an AO+IN condition. Taken together, it can be concluded that mixed microorganism agents enhance the biodegradation of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in laboratory, a treatability test, and a microcosm test. This agent could especially be a useful tool in the application of bioremediation for removal of aromatic hydrocarbons.】

Prostate cancer has been a critical health problem due to an increase of prostate cancer-related deaths worldwide. Also, a frequent treatment option for prostate cancer is androgen ablation, but this treatment has a limited scope, especially for hormone-refractory cancer. There is an urgent need for the identification of alternative therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer. Previously, over one hundred species of dried-plant methanol extracts were tested for inhibitory effects on proliferation. One of them, Piper longum Linn. was selected based on its potent anti-proliferation effect. The dried root of P. longum Linn. was extracted with 100% methanol for 2-3 days and its extract was fractionated using chloroform. The chloroform layer was then subjected to column chromatography on silica gel, reverse phase-18 (RP-18) and Sephadex LH-20, in turn. Finally, the pure compound was obtained and identified as pipernonaline by NMR spectroscopic and physico-chemical analysis. In this study, anti-proliferation and cell cycle arrest effects of pipernonaline on human prostate cancer PC-3 cells were investigated using the MTT and PI staining, respectively. Our findings suggest that pipernonaline represents a dose-dependent growth inhibition pattern on PC-3 cells and, moreover, its growth inhibition is associated with sub-G1 and G0/G1 cell cycle accumulation in PC-3 cells. Also, these results provide an anticancer candidate for human prostate cancer.

The prostate cancer is the critical health problem, increasing of its related death in worldwide. Unfortunately present surgery and chemotherapeutic choices seem to be impossible in curing or controlling prostate cancer, because metastasis occasionally advances even after these potentially curative therapies. Therefore, there is immediate need to alternative chemoprevention and chemotherapeutic agents. Over one hundred species of dried medicinal herbs were tested for proliferation inhibitory effects on prostate cancer cell line, PC-3. One of them, Anthriscus sylvestris was selected because of potent anti-proliferation effect. The dried root of A. sylvestris was extracted with 100% methanol for 2-3 days and its extract was fractionated by using ethyl acetate. And ethyl acetate layer was subjected to column chromatographies on silica gel, reverse phase-18 (RP-18) and Sephadex LH-20, in turn. Finally, the pure compound was obtained by crystallization in methanol at 4℃ for overnight and identified as deoxypodophyllotoxin by NMR spectorscopic and physico-chemical analyses. In addition, it was confirmed that deoxypodophyllotoxin clearly inhibits the proliferation of PC-3 cells in a doseand time-dependent manner.

Cell-free culture broth of marine halophilic bacterium, Kordia algicida was shown to possess specific algicidal ability against red tide organism, Cochlodinium polykrikides. Physiochemical characteristics of algicidal material originated in the bacterial culture broth were analyzed that its molecular weight was estimated to a 3,000 dalton and it was stable in heat and pH treatment. The algicidal fraction against C. polykrikoides obtained from gel permeable chromatography contained high concentration of ammonium ion as analyzed by ICP/Mass spectrum. C. polykrikoides by the fraction was quickly lysed within 1 min. It was shown that the effective concentration for algicide against C. polykrikoides was over 1mM of ammonium chloride. On the other hand, other metal ions presented in the algicidal fraction showed no algicidal effect against C. polykrikoides. In additon, ammonium ion exhibited species-specific killing spectrum for two species of red tide organisms, C. polykrikoides and Gymnodinium sanguieum. Therefore, further researches on the killing mechanism against C. polykrikoides exerted by ammonium ion, and subsequent development of replaceable algicidal materials will perform to provide useful tools for the control of red tide.