버섯배지의 발효를 효율적으로 행하면서 버섯의 재배 시 빈번하게 발생하는 푸른곰팡이 병의 원인 균주인 Trichoderma sp. 곰팡이 성장을 억제하는 세균의 분리를 행하였다. 균원시료로부터 1차 분리한 약 200여 균주 중에서 성장속도가 빠르고, SM, AM 및 CM의 평판배지 상에서 clear zone이 뚜렷한 6균주를 2차 분리하였다. 분리한 6균주 중 cellulase, amylase 및 protease의 효소활성이 높고 T. virens와 T. harzianum에 대하여 강한 항균활성을 나타낸 C-1균주를 최종 분리균주로 선정하였다. 분리한 C-1균주는 Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology에 의한 동정과 16S rDNA 염기서열 분석을 행한 결과 Paenibacillus polymyxa 밝혀져 P. polymyxa CK-1으로 명명하였다. P. polymyxa CK-1균주의 생육조건을 검토한 결과 최적배양온도는 45˚C, 생육을 위한 배지의 최적 pH는 6.0~7.0 범위로 나타났다. T. virens와 T. harzianum 곰팡이의 생육억제를 위한 P. polymyxa CK-1의 배양시간은 22~36시간이 적당하였다. 그리고 P. polymyxa CK-1균주의 24시간째 배양용액을 처리한 petri dish에 두 곰팡이를 각각 접종한 후 10일 동안 방치하여도 곰팡이의 생육은 관찰되지 않았다. P. polymyxa CK-1 균주가 생산한 길항물질의 열안정성을 검토한 결과 60˚C 및 100˚C로 20분 동안 처리한 시험구에서는 두 곰팡이의 균사성장이 전혀 관찰되지 않았지만 121˚C에서 20분 동안 처리한 시험구에서는 약간의 균사성장이 관찰되었다. P. polymyxa CK-1배양액이 버섯균사 생육에 미치는 영향을 검토한 결과 팽이버섯, 표고버섯 등의 다양한 버섯균사 생육에 전혀 영향을 미치지 않는 것으로 나타났다.

Allomyrina dichotoma is a typical pet beetles in Korea. From 2010, similar symptoms of milky spore disease were found collectively in grubs of the species reared in insect farms. They shared a specific symptom that the skin of last instar larvae was changed softer with opaque white and infested grubs eventually died. To clarify the cause of the symptom, we collected the larvae of A. dichotoma from five farms and examined intestinal bacterial florae of them using pyrosequencing technique. From those results, a member of Paenibacillus was found only in the larvae showing the symptom of disease. Through PCR analysis using a Paenibacillus specific primer set, we obtained the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence and confirmed the microbe as Paenibacillus sp. For detailed characterizing, a whole guts was extracted from each larva showing the sign of the disease and incubated at 70℃ for 15 min to isolate spore forming bacteria. After then, each content of guts was cultured on MYPGPNAL agar medium (12.5 μg/ml of nalidixic acid) at 30℃. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis for six isolate showed that they were closely related to P. rigui (97.5~98.0% similarity) and to P. chinjuensis (95.9~96.6% similarity). Additional tests including API test and cellular fatty acid composition analysis were performed, but the strain couldn’t be identified at species level, suggesting it may represent novel species of the genus Paenibacillus.

The extracellular GH11 β-1,4-xylanase (XylY) gene (633-bp) of Paenibacillus sp. strain KYJ-16 was molecularly cloned by repeated DNA walking and nested PCR method. The xylY gene was predicted to encode an extracellular protein consisting of 611 amino acids with a nesuced molecular mass of 23 kDa and a calculated pI of 9.55. Protein blast search revealed that the enzyme consisted of a putative catalytic domain, which is homologous to a catalytic GH11 domain. The highest sequence identity (92%) was obtained as the catalytic GH11 domain of XylY was compared to that of Paenibacillus sp. strain HGF5 (GenBank accession number: EGG35584) that has not yet been characterized. Enzymatic properties of the recombinant His-tagged enzyme (rXylY) overexpressed in E. coli BL21 harboring pET-28a(+)/xylY will be also presented.

From the course of screening of useful xylanase producing microorganism from a phytophagous longicorn beetle, we isolated an extra-cellular xylanase producing strain, Paenibacillus sp. HY-8 from the intestine of Moechotypa diphysis adult. On the basis of morphological, biochemical and phylogenetic studies of the new isolate was identified as a Paenibacillus species. Production of xylanase in this strain was strongly induced by adding xylan to the growth medium and repressed by glucose or xylose. The highest xylanase production was attained in the M9 media containing 1% yeast extract and 0.5% birchwood xylan when cultured at 25℃ for 24 hrs. HY-8 producing xylanase showed superior hydrolytic activities against various plant source feedstuff than control xylanase produced by Tricoderma sp. at pH 6.0.