• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 1989

Progestrone bioconversion by immobilized Aspergillus phoenicis was studied. Progesterone was converted into 11$\alpha$-hydroxyprogesterone and 3-minor byproducts. Whole cells of A. phoenicis were immobillized by enreappment with calcium-alginate, K-carrageenan, or polyacrylamide. Of these materials tested, cell immobilized in $Ca^{2+}$ -alginate gels showed the highest activity for 11$\alpha$-hydroxylation of progesterone. In the case of mycelia immobilized in $Ca^{2+}$-alginate, futher progressing hydroxylation of 11$\alpha$-hydroxyprogesterone was greatly reduced. Spores of A. phoenicis which were immobillized with $Ca^{2+}$-alginate and germinatedin situ for 25 hours showed higher 11$\alpha$-hydroxylase activity than those of entrapped whole mycelia and maintained initial enzyme activity for all 8 times of repeated use. After 16 times of reuse, the activity was declined 30% or more. When culture media and $Zn^{2+}$ were introduced into the reaction media, the activity of the immobilized mycelia which had been lowered due to many times of reuse was effectively reactivated.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 1985

The temperature dependency and the stability of enzyme systems for $11{\alpha}-hydroxyla­tion$ of progesterone were investigated using Aspergillus phoenicis. Though A. phoenicis conserves high enzyme activities for lactose hydrolysis even at high temperatures, the bioconversion reaction of progesterone by this strain was found to be very temperature sensitive. The compositions of reaction mediums of inside and outside of cells were analyzed using sonication technique. At early stage of reaction, the concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ of cell inside was higher than that of outside. But as the reaction proceeded further, the $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ existing inside of cells being converted into another products, its concentration was lower within the cells that in the bulk medium. Even in the reaction mediums containing organic solvents, A. phoenicis was founded to be able to metabolite, so that $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ can be produced continuously from fixed bed reactions packed with immobilized A phoenicis in vivo.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.115-119
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• 1983

The bioconversion of progesterone by Aspergillus phoenicis has been studied. The metabolism in the conditions of experiment gave $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ as main product. The concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ increased monotonically and leveled off after 40 hours of incubation. Addition of glucose into the medium reduced considerably the time for attaining limiting concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$. The increase in initial progesterone concentration did not affected the percentage of conversion nor the time required for termination of the reaction. But it could not be represented as first order reaction with respect to progesterone concentration. The degree of inhibition of enzymes by organic solvents depended upon the concentration of solvents. At low solvent concentration, acetone proved to yield the highest conversion.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.109-114
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• 1983

${\beta}-Galactosidase$ activity of Aspergillus phoenicis was studied using ONPG and lactose as substrate. It increased monotonically during the exponential growth phase and dropped rapidly at the beginning of the stationary one. It exhibited high tolerable temperature and acidic optimal pH which provides certain advantages from the industrial view point. Enzyme of ${\beta}-galactosidase$ had more subsrate affinity for ONPG than for lactose and its apparent maximum activity was also higher with the former as substrate. Activity of this enzyme depended upon the conditions of immobilization. Optimum crosslinking reaction was occurred at pH 7.2 and 0. 35 vol. % of glutaraldehyde concentration.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 1988

Biosynthesis and processing of cytoplasmic mRNA from heterogenous nuclear RNA (hn-RNA) in Aspergillus phoenicis were studied by $^{3}H$-uridine labeling and synchronous culture techniques during their life cycle. Incorporations of $^{3}H$-uridine into hn-RNA and mRNA were most rapid in vesicle-phialide fromation stage and diminished in hyphal growth stage. The processing of cytoplasmic mRNA from hn-RNA was proceeded more rapidly in hyphal growth and conidiophore formation stages than in conidia and vesicle-phialide formation stages. The specific radioactivities of hn-RNA and mRNA were very high in vesicle-phialide formation stage.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.297-301
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• 1985

The dependence of activities of Aspergillus phoenicis on the culture conditions in the progesterone transformation reaction was investigated. In the beginning of the reaction, $6{\beta},\;11{\alpha}-dihydroxyprogesterone$ was not produced even at high concentration of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$. However, large amount of the product was obtained after the complete exhaustion of progesterone. When spores of A.phoenicis replaced mycelia as enzyme source, $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ was produced after a considerably long indyction period, and its maximum production rate followed the exponential growth phase. The $6{\beta}-hydroxylation\;of\;11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ continued, even after the stationary growth phase. A. phoenicis showed high enzyme activity for these reactions when the phosphate buffer solutions were used in place of the ordinary culture medium. The buffer solutions of low pH gave more yield of $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ than those of high pH. However, the addition of flucose to the buffer solutions did not activate the transformation reaction. The presence of progesterone seems to be necessary for the induction of enzymes for the $6{\beta}-hydroxylation\;of\;11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone\;since\;6{\beta},\;11{\alpha}-dihydroxyprogesterone$ is not produced in the reaction medium containing only $11{\alpha}-hydroxyprogesterone$ as a substrate.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 1999

Korean native plants and naturalized plants were analyzed for allelochemicals, and their antimicrobial effects were studied. The difference in soluble solid contents between Korean native plants and naturalized species was not significant, and the Korean native plant, Solanum nigrum showed the highest soluble solid content of 90 mg/ml. The ethanol extract of the Korean native plant, Solanum nigrum showed antifungal activity to Aspergillus phoenicis KCTC 1228, with a clear zone of 18 mm, and spore formation was not observed from the treatment. The naturalized plants Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior and Erigeron canadensis showed inhibition of spore formation and the clear zones were at 24 mm and 22 mm, respectively. The clear zones of Aspergillus phoenicis KCTC 1228 treated with ethanol extrats of Phytolacca americana and Rudbeckia bicolor were 22 mm and 19 mm, respectively, and spore formation was observed from the treatment. The Korean native plant, Solanum nigrum and naturalized plants, Phytolacca americana and Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior showed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus sphiaericus 2362, and Bacillus sphiaericus 2297, Bacillus thuringiensis var. subtilis and Baicillus thuringiensis var. cereus. The antimicrobial activity of Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior showed the largest clear zone of 32 mm against Bacillus thuringiensis var. subtilis. In general, the more soluble the solid contents of the extracts, the greater were the antifungal and antimicrobial activities. The phenolic compounds from the Korean native plant, Solanum nigrum and the naturalized species, Phytolacca americana and Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Three phenolic compounds including hydroquinone were identified in Solanum nigrum. In contrast, five and seven phenolic compounds were identified in Phytolacca americana and Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior, respectively. The antifungal activity against Aspergillus phoenicis KCTC 1228 was found to be due to the coumaric and benzoic compounds.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 1981

Protein content of cellulosic wastes, such as spent grain, hop bark, spent rye, rice straw, rice hull, saw dust and used newspaper, was increased by a mixed culture of C. utilis wastes having 66-75% moisture. Among the fungal strains tested. A.phoenicis KU175 was the most powerful to increase the protein content of A. phoenicis during the mixed culture with C. utilis in the CMC medium reached at the peak for one day culture after inoculation of the both strains at the same time, while it reached at peark from the beginning of the mixed culture, when A. phoenicis was inocultated for 12-24hours prior to the inoculation of C.utilis. To increase the protein content of the cellulosic wastes by the mixed culture of C.utilis and A.phoenicis, the inoculation of both strains at the same time was more effective than the preinoculation of A. phoenicis for 6-24 hours. Content of crude cellulose in the used newspaper, saw dust and spent grain was high relatively, and the lignin content of spent grain, spent rye, and rice strew was reduced more than half by the treatment of 2% NaOH. However, effect of alkali treatment of increase the protein content of the cellulosic wastes was not prominent in the case of mixed culture. Protein content of the cellulosic wastes was increased prominently by the mixed culture of C.utilis and A.phoenicis in semi-solid substrate, compared with the single culture of C. utilis, although the latter increased the protein content of cellulosic wastes considerably. The effect of mixed culture of C. utilis and A. phoenicis increased 4-fold the protein content of spent grain, and more than doubled crude protein in hop bark and rice straw.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 1981

Avicelase, CMCase and salicinase of A.phoenicis K.U. 175 were purified from wheat bran culture by salting out with ammonium sulfate, dialysis and successive column chromatography Sephadex G-100. Optimum pH and temperature of avicelase were pH 3.8-4.8, $35-55^{\circ}C$ and that of CMCase, salicinase were pH4.5-5.5, $45-60^{\circ}C$ and pH 4.5-6.0, $45-60^{\circ}C$ respectively. These enzymes were relatively thermostable, alkali unstable and inhibited by $Ca^{++},\;Mn^{++},\;Cu^{++},\;and\;Hg^{++}$. Km values of avicelase, CMCase and salicinase were calculated to be $1.5{\times}10^{-4}M,\;5.5{\times}10^{-4}M\;and\;2.75{\times}10^{-5}M$ and Vmax values $1.66{\times}10^{-4}mM/min,\;3.33{\times}10^{-4}mM/min\;and\;1.14{\times}10^{-4}mM/min$, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.366-377
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• 1994

The base composition of DNA of Aspergillus phoenicis, Rhizopus acidus and Candida albicans treated with cycloheximide and nalidixic acid during the culture was analyzed to compare with the control. The contents of base in the DNA were inhibited by cycloheximide, 20.4% of adenine, 43.1% of thymine, 40.9% of cytosine, 35.3% of guanine, 32.2% of purine, and 42.7% of pyrimidine for A. phoenicis. In R. acidus, 34.2% of adenine, 42.1% of thymine, 38.0% of cytosine, 18.1% of guanine, 24.1% of purine and 40.0% of pyrimidine were depressed by cycloheximide. In the antibiotic treatment of C. albicans, 58.3% of adenine, 58.5% of thymine, 58.1% of cytosine, 42.4% of guanine, 46.8% of purine and 58.8% of pyrimidine were inhibited to compare with the control. The nalidixic acid treatments were showed that, in A. phoenicis 41.6% of adenine, 47.1% of thymine, 59.3% of cytosine, 46.3% of guanine, 45.6% of purine and 57.2% of pyrimidine were inhibited. When R. acidus was treated with nalidixic acid, 59.1% of adenine, 54.7% of thymine, 35.3% of cytosine, 37.4% of guanine, 45.9% of purine and 44.9% of pyrimidine decreased. In treatment of nalidixic acid, the content of DNA was depressed 60.1% of adenine, 68.6% of thymine, 60.7% of cytosine, 40.0% of guanine, 45.8% of purine and 63.5% of pyrimidine for C. albicans In the DNA synthesis of three fungal cells, cycloheximide and nalidixic acid treatments were analyzed obviously that the biosynthesis of pyrimidine was depressed than that of purine. Therefore, it was showed that the DNA contents in the various fungal cells were inhibited remarkably in nalidixic acid treatment than cycloheximide.