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Ubiquitin (Ub) is one of the proteins that are highly conserved from yeast to humans. It is an essential core unit of the welldefined post-translational modification, called ubiquitination, which is involved in a variety of biological processes. In metazoans, Ub is encoded by two monoubiquitin genes and two polyubiquitin genes, in which a single Ub is fused to a ribosomal protein or Ub coding units are arranged in tandem repeats. In mice, polyubiquitin genes (Ubb and Ubc) play a pivotal role to meet the requirement of cellular Ub pools during embryonic development. In addition, expression levels of polyubiquitin genes are increased to adapt to environmental stimuli such as oxidative, heat-shock, and proteotoxic stress. Several researchers have reported about the perturbation of Ub pools through genetic alteration or exogenous Ub delivery using diverse model systems. To study Ub pool changes in a physiologically relevant manner, changing Ub pools via the regulation of endogenous polyubiquitin gene expression has recently been introduced. Furthermore, to understand the regulation of polyubiquitin gene expression more precisely, cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors, which are regulatory components of polyubiquitin genes, have been analyzed. In this review, we discuss how the role of polyubiquitin genes has been studied during the past decade, especially focusing on their regulation. [BMB Reports 2021; 54(4): 189-195].

Polystyrene (PS) and chemically modified compounds in the PS family have long been used in commercial and industrial fields. However, it is poorly understood whether nanoscale-PS microplastic or PS nanoplastic exposure leads to perturbations in fundamental cellular functions, such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Herein, we cultured three types of primary cells, including mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), mixed neuronal cells isolated from embryonic cortex, and cortical astrocytes, and investigated the effects of their exposure to PS nanoplastics with a 100 nm diameter. Although PS nanoplastic exposure did not affect the viability of MEFs or astrocytes, it significantly reduced the viability of mixed neuronal cells. Consistent with the observed effect on cellular viability, levels of the apoptosis marker, cleaved caspase-3, were elevated exclusively in mixed neuronal cells. To investigate whether cells uptake PS nanoplastics into the cytoplasm, we exposed MEFs and neurons to fluorescent PS latex beads and monitored fluorescence over time. We found that PS nanoplastics were deposited and accumulated in the cytoplasm in a concentration-dependent manner. Although astrocytes were not apoptotic upon exposure to PS nanoplastics, they underwent reactive astrocytosis, with increased levels of lipocalin-2 and proinflammatory cytokines. Therefore, our findings suggested that the vulnerability of cells to the deposition and accumulation of PS nanoplastics in the cytoplasm was dependent on cell type. Furthermore, based on our data from primary cells originating from mouse brains, we suggest that reactive astrocytosis may contribute to the neuronal apoptosis seen in defective neurons with PS nanoplastics accumulated in the cell body.

Photorhabdus spp. has a high molecular weight Tc toxin with insecticidal activity. These toxins have been suggested as an alternative to BT toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis. Herein, we constructed a cosmid library with the genome of M1021 and screened the Escherichia coli clones showing insect toxicity by injecting each clone into Galleria mellonella larvae. In a total of 1020 clones, one clone with high insecticidal activity was selected and the nucleotide sequence of the cosmid of the clone was determined. In cosmid PtC28, a gene with 87% homology to the tccB gene of Photorhabdus temperata was found. Consequently, we have isolated the tccB gene cassette from the M1021 and expressed in E. coli expression vectors. The toxin was produced in the form of inclusion bodies but the denatured and refolded recombinant TccB showed strong mortality to the G. mellonella larvae.

Panax ginseng is a well-known medicinal plant that achieves strong resistance against plant pathogens while growing in the wild. Due to the high market demand for ginseng as a health food source, ginseng cultivation is prevalent in South Korea. However, continuous monocropping creates problems like irregular growth or vulnerability to crop diseases. Quorum sensing (QS) deals with the intracellular communication of bacteria and plays a role in dynamic changes in the soil microbiome. Here, we investigated how acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signaling molecules in QS (C8, C10, and C12) improve plant growth and induce shifts in the soil microbiome. To assess the effects, we recorded root and shoot growth of ginseng seedlings and checked the changes in the soil microbiome during different time points (0, 2, 4, and 8) after 8 weeks of growth. We observed that soils treated with N-decanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C10) showed the most pronounced effects. Very striking was that C10 had the lowest alpha diversity. Using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt2), we observed a high number of QS-related functional genes, with the highest count occurring in the untreated planted soil (W). Together with the known direct and beneficial effects of AHLs on plant development, AHLs treated mono-cropped soil showed trends in the microbiome community.

Pyrhila pisum is known as leucosiid crab. So far, there is no study about whole mitochondrial genome in Leucosiidae family. Here, we report first the complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome from P. pisum, which is composed of 15,516 base pair encoding 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and A + T-rich region. The nucleotide composition of P. pisum was G + C: 25.5%, A + T: 74.5%, with a strong AT bias. In phylogenetic analysis using whole mitogenome, it was figured out that P. pisum was closely related to Sesarma neglectum but their family is different.

Ubiquitin (Ub) is a highly conserved eukaryotic protein that plays pivotal roles in cellular signal transduction, differentiation, and proteolysis. Although we have previously reported that disruption of the polyubiquitin gene Ubb is associated with the dysregulated differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) into neurons, it is unclear how gene expression patterns are altered in Ubb knockout (KO) NSCs, and whether this altered gene expression contributes to Ubb KO neural phenotypes. To answer these questions, we used RNA-Seq to compare the transcriptomes of Ubb KO NSCs and Ubb heterozygous (HT) controls. We found that the expression levels of most proliferation markers were decreased in Ubb KO NSCs. To determine whether the reduced levels of proliferation markers were due to reduced self-renewal of NSCs, such as radial glia, we measured the levels of the radial glia marker, Pax6, in mouse embryonic brains at 14.5 dpc. We found that Pax6 levels were decreased and the ventricular zone was thinner in the embryonic brains of Ubb KO mice compared to those of wild-type (WT) control mice. To determine whether the decreased self-renewal of Ubb KO NSCs was caused by cell-autonomous defects and not due to their microenvironment, we transplanted NSCs into WT mouse brains using a cannula system. In mouse brain sections, immunoreactivity of the NSC marker, nestin, was much lower in Ubb KO NSCs than in Ubb HT controls. Therefore, our data suggest that cell-autonomous defects, due to the disruption of Ubb, lead to a decrease in the self-renewal capacity of NSCs and may contribute to their dysregulated differentiation into neurons.

Many bacteria found in the rhizosphere provide contribution for the host plant’s growth and protection that are known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Plant–microbe interactions in the rhizosphere are important factors in determining the health of plants. Research for commercialization of these PGPR as an alternative to the use of chemical fertilizers for a more environmentally friendly treatment is continuously being improved. In this review, we discuss the essential traits that rhizobacteria must possess for them to be considered PGPR and report the bacterial species that exhibit these essential plant growth-promoting activities and which are approved for use by the South Korean regulations.

The enzyme xylose isomerase (E.C. 5.3.1.5, XI) is responsible for the conversion of an aldose to ketose, especially xylose to xylulose. Owing to the ability of XI to isomerize glucose to fructose, this enzyme is used in the food industry to prepare high-fructose corn syrup. Therefore, we studied the characteristics of XI from Anoxybacillus kamchatkensis G10, a thermophilic bacterium. First, the gene coding for XI (xylA) was inserted into the pET-21a(+) expression vector and the construct was transformed into the Escherichia coli competent cell BL21 (DE3). The expression of recombinant XI was induced in the absence of isopropyl-thio-β-galactopyranoside and purified using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The optimum temperature of recombinant XI was 80°C and measurement of the heat stability indicated that 55% of residual activity was maintained after 2 h incubation at 60°C. The optimum pH was found to be 7.5 in sodium phosphate buffer. Magnesium, manganese, and cobalt ions were found to increase the enzyme activity; manganese was the most effective. Additionally, recombinant XI was resistant to the presence of Ca²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions. The kinetic properties, Km and Vmax, were calculated as 81.44 mM and 2.237 μmol/min/mg, respectively. Through redundancy analysis, XI of A. kamchatkensis G10 was classified into a family containing type II XIs produced by the genera Geobacillus, Bacillus, and Thermotoga. These results suggested that the thermostable nature of XI of A. kamchatkensis G10 may be advantageous in industrial applications and food processing.

Burkholderia species are widely distributed across wide ecological niches. Many genera of Burkholderia are known to be associated with plants and are involved in processes such as suppression of soil-borne pathogens, acceleration of plant growth and endophytic colonization. In the present study, a strain belonging to the Burkholderia cepacia complex, which was termed JBK9, was isolated. The strain JBK9 showed broad-spectrum antifungal activities against Phytophthora capsici, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizoctonia solani, which are representative phytopathogenic fungi, inhibiting their growth by 59.56, 51.92, and 34.22%, respectively. The strain produced an antifungal compound that was confirmed to be pyrrolnitrin by TLC, HPLC, and NMR analyses. Using an in vitro assay for plant root colonization, we observed that the population densities of B. cepacia JBK9 on the upper 1 cm of host plant roots were significantly different between Burkholderia species. The high motility of these strains is likely to have contributed to their efficient root colonization. The isolated strain was evaluated in vivo for its ability to control Phytophthora blight via a pot test. Compared with Burkholderia strains KCTC 2973 and ATCC 25416, B. cepacia JBK9 demonstrated a stronger antifungal activity against P. capsici. The strain B. cepacia JBK9 could be further developed as a biological control agent for pepper plants.

Paenibacillus donghaensis JH8T (KCTC 13049T=LMG 23780T) is a Gram-positive, mesophilic, endospore-forming bacterium isolated from East Sea sediment at depth of 500m in Korea. The strain exhibited plant cell wall hydrolytic and plant growth promoting abilities. The complete genome of P. donghaensis strain JH8T contains 7602 protein-coding sequences and an average GC content of 49.7% in its chromosome (8.54Mbp). Genes encoding proteins related to the degradation of plant cell wall, nitrogen-fixation, phosphate solubilization, and synthesis of siderophore were existed in the P. donghaensis strain JH8T genome, indicating that this strain can be used as an eco-friendly microbial agent for increasing agricultural productivity.

Reduced levels of cellular ubiquitin (Ub) pools due to disruption of the polyubiquitin gene Ubb lead to dysregulation of neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation and impaired neuronal maturation in cells isolated from Ubb −/− mouse embryonic brains. However, it is currently unknown whether Ub is required for the specific stage of neuronal development or whether it plays a pleiotropic role throughout the process. To answer this question, we aimed to downregulate Ubb expression temporally during neuronal development, which could not be achieved in Ubb −/− cells. Therefore, we exploited lentivirus-mediated knockdown (KD) of Ubb at different stages of neuronal development, and investigated their phenotypes. Here, we report the outcome of Ubb KD on two independent culture days in vitro (DIV): DIV1 and DIV7. We observed that NSCs did not differentiate properly via Ubb KD on DIV1, but the maturation of already differentiated neurons was intact via Ubb KD on DIV7. Intriguingly, Ubb KD activated Notch signaling when it had been suppressed, but exerted no effect when it had already been activated. Therefore, our study suggests that Ub plays a pivotal role in NSC differentiation to suppress Notch signaling, but not in the subsequent maturation stages of neurons that had already been differentiated.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) affect plant growth through various mechanisms, such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, and biofilm formation. The aim of the study reported here was to isolate and characterize rhizobacteria that produce quorum-sensing signal molecules and other PGPR-related molecules. A biofilm-forming bacterium, GS2, was isolated from the rhizosphere of a sesame plant and subsequently found to produce two quorum-sensing signal molecules that were identified as N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (m/z 200) and N-octanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (m/z 228) by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The strain was also found to produce IAA (17.2 μg mL−1), gibberellins (113.7 μg mL−1), and ACC deaminase (9.7 μM α-ketobutyrate mg−1 protein h−1). The strain was identified as Serratia glossinae based on a comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences. Inoculation of the strain promoted growth of a gibberellin-deficient rice dwarf mutant (Waito-C). Different growth attributes, including shoot and root elongation, chlorophyll content, and plant weight could be attributed to the PGPR characteristics of strain GS2. These results suggest that S. glossinae strain GS2 can serve as a microbial agent that improves plant growth.

Additional file 1. Supplementary information accompanies this paper at http://doi.org/.

Current investigation conducted to evaluate the associated fungal endophyte interactions of a Cd hyper-accumulator Solanum nigrum Korean ecotype under varying concentrations of Cd. Two indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) producing fungal strains, RSF-4L and RSF-6L, isolated from the leaves of S. nigrum, were initially screened for Cd tolerance and accumulation potential. In terms of dry biomass production, the strain RSF-6L showed higher tolerance and accumulation capacity for Cd toxicity in comparison to RSF-4L. Therefore, RSF-6L was applied in vivo to S. nigrum and grown for six weeks under Cd concentrations of 0, 10, and 30mgKg-1 of dry sand. The effect of fungal inoculation assessed by plant physiological responses, endogenous biochemical regulations, and Cd profile in different tissues. Significant increase were observed in plant growth attributes such as shoot length, root length, dry biomass, leaf area, and chlorophyll contents in inoculated RSF-6L plants in comparison to non-inoculated plants with or without Cd contamination. RSF-6L inoculation decreased uptake of Cd in roots and above ground parts, as evidenced by a low bio-concentration factor (BCF) and improved tolerance index (TI). However, Cd concentration in the leaves remained the same for inoculated and non-inoculated plants under Cd spiking. Fungal inoculation protected the host plants, as evidenced by low peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol peroxidase (PPO) activities and high catalase (CAT) activity. Application of appropriate fungal inoculation that can improve tolerance mechanisms of hyper-accumulators and reduce Cd uptake can be recommended for phyto-stabilisation/immobilisation of heavy metals in crop fields.

In this paper, we fabricated a modular microserver using low power chip Intel ATOM CPU or ARM based XGEN2 CPU. Cloud Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) is a promoting software technology in commercial cloud application. PaaS-TA provides a web-based platform management user portal platform, including cloud-based development operating environment management and PaaS installation automation technology, which is basically required for PaaS operation. We installed PaaS-TA, a Cloud Platform (PaaS), on a highly integrated cluster server, and verified that various PaaS services operate normally. As a result, we confirmed the versatility, scalability, and interoperability of the developed microserver and open cloud platform, PaaS-TA.

Fungal endophytes have been characterized as producers of phytohormones and potent promoters of plant growth. In this study, two fungal endophytes, Fusarium tricinctum RSF-4L and Alternaria alternata RSF-6L, were isolated from the leaves of Solanum nigrum. Culture filtrates (CFs) from each isolate were initially screened for indole compounds, and assayed for their ability to promote the growth of Dongjin rice plants. Nearly all plant growth attributes examined (i.e., chlorophyll content, root-shoot length, and biomass production) were significantly enhanced upon treatment with fungal CFs. Subsequently, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses were utilized to confirm the presence of phytohormones in the CF of each fungal endophytic isolate. These analyses revealed that RSF-4L and RSF-6L produced 54 and 30 µg/mL indole acetic acid, respectively, within their respective cultures. These findings suggest that the endophytes isolated in this study synthesize bioactive compounds that could play important roles in promoting plant growth.

The growth of hyperaccumulator plants is often compromised by increased toxicity of metals like cadmium (Cd). However, extraction of such metals from the soil can be enhanced by endophytic microbial association. Present study was aimed to elucidate the potential of microbe-assisted Cd phytoextraction in hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum plants and their interactions under varied Cd concentrations. An endophytic bacteria Serratia sp. RSC-14 was isolated from the roots of S. nigrum. In addition to Cd tolerance up to 4 mM, the RSC-14 exhibited phosphate solubilization and secreted plant growth-promoting phytohormones such as indole-3-acetic acid (54 μg/mL). S. nigrum plants were inoculated with RSC-14 and were grown in different concentrations of Cd (0, 10, and 30 mg Cd kg(-1) sand). Results revealed that Cd treatment caused significant cessation in plant growth, biomass, and chlorophyll content, whereas significantly higher malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte production in leaves were observed in a dose-dependent manner. Conversely, RSC-14 inoculation relived the toxic effects of Cd-induced stress by significantly increasing root/shoot growth, biomass production, and chlorophyll content and decreasing MDA and electrolytes contents. Ameliorative effects on host growth were also observed by the regulation of metal-induced oxidative stress enzymes such as catalase, peroxidase, and polyphenol peroxidase. Activities of these enzymes were significantly reduced in RSC-14 inoculated plants as compared to control plants under Cd treatments. The lower activities of stress responsive enzymes suggest modulation of Cd stress by RSC-14. The current findings support the beneficial uses of Serratia sp. RSC-14 in improving the phytoextraction abilities of S. nigrum plants in Cd contamination.

Paenibacillus donghaensis JH8

Pediococcus acidilactici strain S1, a lactic acid-fermenting bacterium, was isolated from makgeolli-a Korean traditional fermented alcoholic beverage. Here we report the 1,980,172 bp (G + C content, 42%) genome sequence of Pediococcus acidilactici strain S1 with 1,525 protein-coding sequences (CDS), of which 47% could be assigned to recognized functional genes. The genome sequence of the strain S1 might provide insights into the genetic basis of the lactic acid bacterium with alcohol-tolerant.

We suggest new approach to monitor indoor air quality by using selective VOCs sensor specialized to detect formaldehyde, benzene, toluene with distinct sensitivity. One of the major drawbacks in semiconductor type gas sensors is poor selectivity despite of high sensitivity in detection of trace level of gases. Graphene oxide was deposited as a sensing layer on silicon dioxide sensor with platinum bottom electrodes. Thermal treatments under varying temperature, time, and gas, were performed to reduce graphene oxide at a certain amount as desired. Depending on the degree of reduced graphene oxide, obvious difference in functional groups in terms of type and number was observed. Following sensing behavior measurements confirmed that partial reduction of graphene oxide determined the selective gas adsorption to influence the sensing behavior to improve the selective VOCs detection for better indoor air quality.

Graphene oxide (GO) thin films were fabricated into thin film sensor for the selective VOCs detection. Different concentrations of GO aqueous solutions (6.2g/L and 5.0 g/L) were tested and thermally treated to obtain the appropriate sensing layer in terms of specific surface area and functional group. For the selectivity, it was assumed that different numbers and types of attached functional group of GO could induce the difference in gas adsorption, which may consequently derive to the selective VOCs detection. FE-SEM, XRD, and FTIR were utilized to characterize crystalline phase and functional group change by heat treatment condition and resistance measurements were followed. We suggest that thermally treated GO thin film sensor can be the alternative approach to achieve the improved selectivity in multiple gas detection by controlling the degree of gas adsorption.

Asbestos in various building materials were measured by spectral sensor to examine the shift in reflectance wavelength according to asbestos concentration in different materials. Asbestos glove, asbestos soil, asbestos fiber insulation board, slate and bamlite panel were tested under several experimental conditions to alter reflectance intensity at each wavelength to find the optimum condition to detect asbestos selectively from other particulate matters. Chrysotile was found to have specific wavelength range regardless of concentration and type of materials as detected under blue color filter and dyed with refractive index liquid.

Photorhabdus temperata is an entomopathogenic enterobacterium; it is a nematode symbiont that possesses pathogenicity islands involved in insect virulence. Herein, we constructed a P. temperata M1021 cosmid library in Escherichia coli XL1-Blue MRF` and obtained 7.14 x 10(5) clones. However, only 1020 physiologically active clones were screened for insect virulence factors by injection of each E. coli cosmid clone into Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor larvae. A single cosmid clone, PtC1015, was consequently selected due to its characteristic virulent properties, e. g., loss of body turgor followed by death of larvae when the clone was injected into the hemocoel. The sequence alignment against the available sequences in Swiss-Prot and NCBI databases, confirmed the presence of the mcf gene homolog in the genome of P. temperata M1021 showing 85% homology and 98% query coverage with the P. luminescens counterpart. Furthermore, a 2932 amino acid long Mcf protein revealed limited similarity with three protein domains. The N-terminus of the Mcf encompassed consensus sequence for a BH3 domain, the central region revealed similarity to toxin B, and the C-terminus of Mcf revealed similarity to the bacterial export domain of ApxIVA, an RTX-like toxin. In short, the Mcf toxin is likely to play a role in the elimination of insect pests, making it a promising model for use in the agricultural field.

Ubiquitin is required under both normal and stress conditions. Under stress conditions, upregulation of the polyubiquitin gene UBC is essential to meet the requirement of increased ubiquitin levels to confer stress resistance. However, UBC upregulation is usually observed only under stress conditions and not under normal conditions. Therefore, it has not been possible to upregulate UBC under normal conditions to study the effect of excess ubiquitin on cellular machinery. Recently, the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been widely used in biological research as a useful tool to study gene disruption effects. In this study, using an inducible CRISPR/Cas9 variant, a dCas9&ndash, VP64 fusion protein, combined with a single guide RNA (sgRNA) containing MS2 aptamer loops and MS2-p65-HSF1, we developed a system to increase the ubiquitin pool via upregulation of UBC. Although it is challenging to upregulate the expression of a gene that is already expressed at high levels, the significance of our system is that UBC upregulation can be induced in an efficient, reversible manner that is compatible with cellular processes, even under normal conditions. This system can be used to study ubiquitin pool dynamics and it will be a useful tool in identifying the role of ubiquitin under normal and stress conditions.

In this study, we analyzed the changes in fungal populations of red-pepper fields employing eco-friendly farming methods, such as microbial agents and crop rotation, by using polymerase chain reactions coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Primer specific for fungi were used to determine the contribution of domains to the microbial community. Analysis of planted and non-planted soil samples applying PCR-DGGE technology offered evaluation of long-term patterns in fungal species richness. To evaluate the stability of DGGE patterns from different soils, comparison of planted and non-planted soil samples were compared using PCR-DGGE. The number of DNA fragments obtained from all planted soil samples by DGGE separation was far greater (14 to 15 bands) than that of the non-planted soil samples (3 to 4 bands). In addition, 14 bands were observed from crop continuation soil treated with agrochemicals and 18 bands from crop rotation soil treated with microbial agents. The PCR-DGGE analysis suggests that the use of crop rotation and microbial agents benefits the fungal community more than crop continuation using agrochemicals. These results indicate that crop rotation with microbial agents was better able to support beneficial organisms, enable more effective biological control and maintain a healthier balance of nutrients, organic matter and microorganisms.

Biofilm formation of multifunctional plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), Pseudomonas fluorescens 2112 is necessary for P. fluorescens 2112 to have a positive impact on the rhizosphere of red-pepper. This study investigated whether signal molecules of the quorum sensing AHLs are produced in order to confirm biofilm formative ability. Through the use of Petri dish bioassays a blue circle formed evidence of AHLs. It was confirmed that P. fluorescens 2112 produced six-carbon-chain-long AHLs by TLC bioassay. The bacterial density of P. fluorescens 2112 on the top and bottom of pepper plant roots was estimated as and CFU/g root, respectively. P. fluorescens 2112 exist more with high-density of CFU/g soil at a depth of 1 cm but at a low-density of CFU/g soil at a depth of 5 cm, from the surface of rhizosphere soil. In addition, biofilm formation of P. fluorescens 2112 on the epidermises and the tips of the red-pepper roots were confirmed visually by SEM. Thus, the production of AHLs by P. fluorescens 2112 brings about quorum sensing signaling and the formation of biofilm on the roots which has a positive effect on economically important crops such as red-pepper by additionally producing a variety of antifungal substances and auxin.

The genus Serratia incorporates many agriculturally important species. Serratia fonticola strain GS2, isolated from a sesame rhizosphere, can produce N -acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing signal molecules and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Here we report the complete genome sequence and phenotypic characteristics based on genomic information of this bacterium. The complete genome sequence of S. fonticola strain GS2 consists of a chromosome of 6.1 Mbp and two plasmids of 132 kbp and 94 kbp. The genome clusters for IAA and N -acyl homoserine lactone biosynthesis were identified in the genome. Subsequently, the Salkowski test and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis also revealed that the strain GS2 produces indolic compounds (27.1 μg mL −1 ) and IAA (6.7 μg mL −1 ) in its culture broth. HPLC analysis confirmed that the strain GS2 produced the quorum sensing signal molecules N -hexanoyl- L -homoserine lactone and N -octanoyl- L -homoserine lactone. This new information on the genome sequence and phenotype features will inform future ecological studies related to plant-microbe interactions.

Pseudomonas taiwanensis strain SJ9 is a caprolactam degrader, isolated from industrial wastewater in South Korea and considered to have the potential for caprolactam bioremediation. The genome of this strain is approximately 6.2 Mb (G + C content, 61.75%) with 6,010 protein-coding sequences (CDS), of which 46% are assigned to recognized functional genes. This draft genome of strain SJ9 will provide insights into the genetic basis of its caprolactam-degradation ability.

Plant tissues produce ethylene under the environmental stresses such as drought, salinity, and heavy metals. Ethylene concentration can be reduced by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase produced by plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), which cleaves the ethylene precursor ACC. The present study focused on alleviation of environmental stress by selected PGPR, which could suppress fungal plant disease. These PGPRs were capable of utilizing ACC as sole source of nitrogen and also produced auxin. Seed germination of red pepper was reduced with increasing salt concentration, and approximately 98.2% of seeds germinated in the absence of salt, whereas only 36.2% seeds germinated in the presence of 175 mM NaCl. Seed germination was also decreased by 62.1 and 19.9% in the presence of 120mM NaCl and 120mM NaCl +ACC deaminase-producing PGPR Pseudomonas fluorescens 2112, respectively, compared to uninoculated control. The effect of salinity stress with different salt concentration on pepper plants and their alleviation with PGPR was evaluated. Non-inoculated pepper plants died after 5 week when grown in the presence of high salt (120 mM NaCl), whereas 80% of pepper plants inoculated with P. fluorescens 2112 survived under the high salt stress. Salt stress also decreased the fresh and dry weights of pepper grown, compared to the negative control, whereas pepper plants inoculated with P. fluorescens 2112 retained the biomass similar to control plants. These results indicate that ACC deaminase and auxin producing P. fluorescens 2112 is a multi-functional PGPR that can promote the growth and development of pepper plants by alleviating the high-salt stress.

In this study, a total of more than 1,000 bacteria, including 739 species of aerobic bacteria, 80 species of urease producing bacteria and 303 species of photosynthetic bacteria, were isolated from red-pepper field soils located in the Gyeongsan Province of the Republic of Korea. Amongst these, 158 species of aerobic bacteria, 70 species of urease producing bacteria and 228 species of photosynthetic bacteria were found to be auxin producing soil bacteria through quantification analysis with the Salkowski test. The latter groupings were then tested for antifungal activities to -Glucanase and siderophore using CMC congo red agar and CAS blue agar media. In addition, the selected strains were examined for antifungal activity against various phytopathogenic fungi on PDN agar media. Six strains; BCB14, BCB17, C10, HA46, HA143, and HJ5, were noted for their ability to both produce auxin and act as antifungal substances. 16S rDNA sequence comparison analyses of these six strains identified them as Bacillus subtilis BCB14, B. methylotrophicus BCB17, B. methylotrophicus C10, B. sonorensis HA46, B. subtilis HA143, and B. safensis HJ5.

Increasing concerns over green farming technology, plant growth promoting rhizobacterium (PGRP) having growth promoting as well as plant disease suppressing properties was recently preferred to use for biological control of plant pathogens infecting plant. We measured the influence of the selected microbial consortium agents-a mixture of PGPR strains-, commercial bio- fungicide, and chemical pesticides on soil microbial community in red pepper field. The activities of soil enzyme such as dehydrogenase, urease, phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and cellulase were analyzed to investigate that of soil microbial community. We also measured plant length, main stem, stem diameter, number of branches and yields of red-pepper in order to observe the red pepper growth promotion. The results of measuring enzyme activities were dehydrogenase 3.5584 µg TPF g �1 h �1 , urease 15.8689 µg NH4 � N g �1 h �1 , phosphatase 0.5692 µg PNP g �1 h �1 , β-glucosidase 2.4785 µg PNP g �1 h �1 , and cellulase 86.1597 µg glucose g �1 h �1 in the soil treated with the microbial consortium agents, so it came out to be very active in the soil. Observing the growth of red-peppers, the main-stem length and the stem diameter were 6.1% and 8.1% higher in the soil treated with the selected microbial consortium agent than the chemical pesticides. After harvesting, yields were 7.3% higher in the soil treated with selected microbial consortium agents than the chemical pesticides. These results showed that microbial consortium agents contribute to increasing soil microbial diversity, growth promoting, and yield of red pepper.

We investigated the effects on soil microbial diversity and the growth promotion of red pepper resulting from inoculation with a microbial agent composed of Bacillus subtilis AH18, B. licheniformis K11 and Pseudomonas fluorescens 2112 in a red pepper farming field. Photosynthetic bacteria, Trichoderma spp., Azotobacter spp., Actinomycetes, nitrate oxidizing bacteria, nitrite oxidizing bacteria, nitrogen fixing bacteria, denitrifying bacteria, phosphate solubilizing bacteria, cellulase producing bacteria, and urease producing bacteria are all indicator microbes of healthy soil microbial diversity. The microbial diversity of the consortium microbial agent treated soil was seen to be 1.1 to 14 times greater than soils where other commercial agent treatments were used, the latter being the commercial agent AC-1, and chemical fertilizer. The yield of red pepper in the field with the treated consortium microbial agent was increased by more than 15% when compared to the other treatments. Overall, the microbial diversity of the red pepper farming field soil was improved by the consortium microbial agent, and the promotion of growth and subsequent yield of red pepper was higher than soils where the other treatments were utilized.

In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the endemic species Korean aucha perch Coreoperca herzi (Teleostei, Centrarchiformes, Sinipercidae). The mitogenome, consisting of 16 495 base pairs (bp), encoded 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and 2 non-coding region. The overall base composition of C. herzi is G + C: 46.3%, A + T: 53.7%, apparently with a slight AT bias. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the C. herzi was closed to Coreoperca kawamebari.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Cygnus olor (Aves, Anseriformes, Anatidae) was revealed in this study. Total 16 739 base pairs (bp) of this mitogenome encoded genes for 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and a D-loop (control region). The 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes are located between tRNA-Phe and tRNA-Leu (UUR) and segmentalized by the tRNA-Val. D-loop is located between tRNA-Glu and tRNA-Phe. The overall base composition of C. olor is G + C: 47.8%, A + T: 52.2%, apparently with a slight AT bias. Following the phylogenetic analysis, the C. olor was closed to Anser cygnoides.

Chryseobacterium gallinarum strain DSM 27622(T) is a keratin-degrading bacterium belonging to the class Flavobacteriia, which was isolated from chicken. Here, we report the 4633,632bp complete genome sequence of the strain DSM 27622(T) with 4161 genes.