A total of 106 Penicillium species were tested to examine their ability of degrading cellobiose, pectin and xylan. The activity of beta-glucosidase was generally strong in all the Penicillium species tested. P. citrinum, P. charlesii, P. manginii and P. aurantiacum showed the higher ability of producing beta-glucosidase than other tested species. Pectinase activity was detected in 24 Penicillium species. P. paracanescens, P. sizovae, P. sartoryi, P. chrysogenum, and P. claviforme showed strong pectinase activity. In xylanase assay, 84 Penicillium species showed activity. Strong xylanase activity was detected from P. megasporum, P. sartoryi, P. chrysogenum, P. glandicola, P. discolor, and P. coprophilum. Overall, most of the Penicillium species tested showed strong beta-glucosidase activity. The degree of pectinase and xylanase activity varied depending on Penicillium species.
beta-Glucosidase ; Cellobiose ; Penicillium* ; Polygalacturonase

Thirty seven species of Fusarium were evaluated for their ability of producing extracellular enzymes using chromogenic medium containing substrates such as starch, cellobiose, CM-cellulose, xylan, and pectin. Among the tested species Fusarium mesoamericanum, F. graminearum, F. asiaticum, and F. acuminatum showed high beta-glucosidase acitivity. Xylanase activity was strongly detected in F. proliferatum and F. oxysporum. Strong pectinase activity was also found in F. oxysporum and F. proliferatum. Amylase activity was apparent in F. oxysporum. No clear activity in cellulase was found from all the Fusarium species tested.
Amylases ; beta-Glucosidase ; Cellobiose ; Cellulase ; Fusarium* ; Polygalacturonase ; Starch

The halophilic bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus, causes acute fulminating wound infections and septicemia in human. Especially the septicemia shows high mortality above 50%. In Korea, septicemia by V. vulnificus was reported at westem and southern coast in every year. Here, we try to isolate this V. vulnipcus at Kyoung-nam area and coast of Pusan during 1996. Purposed sites were Dadaepo, Songjung, Chungsapo and Mipo of Pusan and Kijang, Ilkuang, Juksoung, Dongam, Waljun and Chilam of southern sea. Total 40 strains of V. vulnipcus were isolated from sea samples. Biochemical characteristics of isolated V. vulnificus were almost same with reference strain V. vulnificus ATCC 27562 on Farmer's tests and on API 20E kit test. V. vulnificus isolates in 1996, fermented cellobiose and salicin but arabinose. and had resistance to 7% sodium chloride.
Arabinose ; Busan* ; Cellobiose ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mortality ; Sepsis ; Sodium Chloride ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

This study was focused on the isolation of pathogenic Vibrio species, V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus from marine environment from May to July of 1999. Isolation sites were coast near by Pusan and Daechon. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Seventy strains of V. parahaemolyticus and 19 strains of V. vulnificus were isolated from a total of 120 specimens. 2. Nineteen strains of V. vulnificus did not fermented arabinose and salicin but fermented lactose and cellobiose. All of V. parahaemolyticus isolates did not fermented lactose and cellobiose. 47 strains of V. parahaemolyticus fermented arabinose but 53 strains did not fermented salicin. 3. V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus isolates showed three different API index numbers with 5046105 and 4346107 dominant. 4. V. vulnificus did not grow on 0% and 8% NaCl containing medium. V. parahaemolyticus grew on 8% NaCl containing medium. 5. V. vulnificus isolates and V. parahaemolyticus revealed different outer membrane protein p rofiles on SDS-PAGE.
Arabinose ; Busan* ; Cellobiose ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Lactose ; Membrane Proteins ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

A beta-glucosidase from Penicillium italicum was purified with a specific activity of 61.8 U/mg, using a chromatography system. The native form of the enzyme was an 88.5-kDa tetramer with a molecular mass of 354 kDa. Optimum activity was observed at pH 4.5 and 60degrees C, and the half-lives were 1,737, 330, 34, and 1 hr at 50, 55, 60, and 65degrees C, respectively. Its activity was inhibited by 47% by 5 mM Ni2+. The enzyme exhibited hydrolytic activity for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (pNP-Glu), p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-cellobioside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xyloside, and cellobiose, however, no activity was observed for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-lactopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside, carboxymetyl cellulose, xylan, and cellulose, indicating that the enzyme was a beta-glucosidase. The kcat/Km (s-1 mM-1) values for pNP-Glu and cellobiose were 15,770.4 mM and 6,361.4 mM, respectively. These values were the highest reported for beta-glucosidases. Non-competitive inhibition of the enzyme by both glucose (Ki = 8.9 mM) and glucono-delta-lactone (Ki = 11.3 mM) was observed when pNP-Glu was used as the substrate. This is the first report of non-competitive inhibition of beta-glucosidase by glucose and glucono-delta-lactone.
beta-Glucosidase ; Cellobiose ; Cellulases ; Cellulose ; Chromatography ; Citrus ; Fungi ; Glucose ; Glucosides ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Penicillium

During an investigation of fungi from an elm tree infested with bark beetles in Korea, one isolate, DUCC401, was isolated from elm wood. Based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer and 28S rDNA (large subunit) sequences, the isolate, DUCC401, was identified as Mariannaea samuelsii. Mycelia of the fungus grew faster on malt extract agar than on potato dextrose agar and oatmeal agar media. Temperature and pH for optimal growth of fungal mycelia were 25degrees C and pH 7.0, respectively. The fungus demonstrated the capacity to degrade cellobiose, starch, and xylan. This is the first report on isolation of Mariannaea samuelsii in Korea.
Agar ; Beetles ; Cellobiose ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Fungi ; Glucose ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea ; Solanum tuberosum ; Starch ; Ulmus ; Wood

The production of polysaccharide according to various developmental stages (mycelium growth, primordium appearance, and fruiting-body formation) in the edible mushroom Grifola frondosa was studied. The cap of the mature mushroom showed the highest amount of polysacchride. Mycelial growth and polysaccharide synthesis were optimal at pH 5 and 20degrees C. Polysaccharide synthesis was maximal after 12 days of cultivation, whereas maximum mycelial growth was shown after 18 days. Mannose, cellobiose and starch increased the level of polysaccharide as well as growth in submerged culture. Glucose and sucrose appeared to be good substrates for fruiting of Grifola frondosa.
Agaricales* ; Cellobiose ; Fruit ; Glucose ; Grifola* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mannose ; Starch ; Sucrose

beta-Glucosidase, which hydrolyzes cellobiose into two glucoses, plays an important role in the process of saccharification of the lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, we optimized the activity of beta-glucosidase of brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis pinicola KCTC 6208 using the response surface methodology (RSM) with various concentrations of glucose, yeast extract and ascorbic acid, which are the most significant nutrients for activity of beta-glucosidase. The highest activity of beta-glucosidase was achieved 3.02% of glucose, 4.35% of yeast extract, and 7.41% ascorbic acid where ascorbic acid was most effective. The maximum activity of beta-glucosidase predicted by the RSM was 15.34 U/mg, which was similar to the experimental value 14.90 U/mg at the 16th day of incubation. This optimized activity of beta-glucosidase was 23.6 times higher than the preliminary activity value, 0.63 U/mg, and was also much higher than previous values reported in other fungi strains. Therefore, a simplified medium supplemented with a cheap vitamin source, such as ascorbic acid, could be a cost effective mean of increasing beta-glucosidase activity.
Ascorbic Acid ; beta-Glucosidase* ; Biomass ; Cellobiose ; Coriolaceae* ; Fungi* ; Glucose ; Vitamins ; Yeasts

In the present study we first report in Korea the identification and characterization of Fusarium oxysporum isolated from rotten stems and roots of paprika (Capsicum annuum var. grossum) at Masan, Kyungsangnamdo in 2006. The fungal species produced white aerial mycelia accompanying with dark violet pigment on PDA. The optimal temperature and pH for the growth of the species was 25degrees C and pH 7, respectively. Microscopic observation of one of isolates of the species shows that its conidiophores are unbranched and monophialides, its microconidia have oval-ellipsoidal shape with no septate and are of 3.0~11 x 1.5~3.5 microm sizes, its macroconidia are of 15~20 x 2.0~3.5 microm sizes and have slightly curved or slender shape with 2~3 septate. The results of molecular analysis show that the ITS rDNA of F. oxysporum from paprika shares 100% sequence identity with that of known F. oxysporum isolates. The identified species proved it's pathogenicity by causing rotting symptom when it was inoculated on paprika fruits. The growth of F. oxysporum from paprika was suppressed on PDA by agrochemicals such as benomyl, tebuconazole and azoxystrobin. The identified species has the ability of producing extracelluar enzymes that degrade cellobiose and pectin.
Agrochemicals ; Benomyl ; Capsicum* ; Cellobiose ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Fruit ; Fusarium* ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea* ; Viola ; Virulence

Lenzites betulinus, known as gilled polypore belongs to Basidiomycota was isolated from fruiting body on broadleaf dead trees. It was found that the mycelia of white rot fungus Lenzites betulinus IUM 5468 produced ethanol from various sugars, including glucose, mannose, galactose, and cellobiose with a yield of 0.38, 0.26, 0.07, and 0.26 g of ethanol per gram of sugar consumed, respectively. This fungus relatively exhibited a good ethanol production from xylose at 0.26 g of ethanol per gram of sugar consumed. However, the ethanol conversion rate of arabinose was relatively low (at 0.07 g of ethanol per gram sugar). L. betulinus was capable of producing ethanol directly from rice straw and corn stalks at 0.22 g and 0.16 g of ethanol per gram of substrates, respectively, when this fungus was cultured in a basal medium containing 20 g/L rice straw or corn stalks. These results indicate that L. betulinus can produce ethanol efficiently from glucose, mannose, and cellobiose and produce ethanol very poorly from galactose and arabinose. Therefore, it is suggested that this fungus can ferment ethanol from various sugars and hydrolyze cellulosic materials to sugars and convert them to ethanol simultaneously.
Animals ; Arabinose ; Basidiomycota ; Biomass* ; Carbohydrates* ; Cellobiose ; Ethanol* ; Fruit ; Fungi* ; Galactose ; Gills ; Glucose ; Mannose ; Trees ; Xylose ; Zea mays