Assimilation, dissimilation, and detoxification of formaldehyde, a central metabolic intermediate of methylotrophic metabolism

Methanol is a valuable raw material used in the manufacture of useful chemicals as well as a potential source of energy to replace coal and petroleum. Biotechnological interest in the microbial utilization of methanol has increased because it is an ideal carbon source and can be produced from renewable biomass. Formaldehyde, a cytotoxic compound, is a central metabolic intermediate in methanol metabolism. Therefore, microorganisms utilizing methanol have adopted several metabolic strategies to cope with the toxicity of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is initially detoxified through trapping by some cofactors, such as glutathione, mycothiol, tetrahydrofolate, and tetrahydromethanopterin, before being oxidized to CO2. Alternatively, free formaldehyde can be trapped by sugar phosphates as the first reaction in the C1 assimilation pathways: the xylulose monophosphate pathway for yeasts and the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) pathway for bacteria. In yeasts, although formaldehyde generation and consumption takes place in the peroxisome, the cytosolic formaldehyde oxidation pathway also plays a role in formaldehyde detoxification as well as energy formation. The key enzymes of the RuMP pathway are found in a variety of microorganisms including bacteria and archaea. Regulation of the genes encoding these enzymes and their catalytic mechanisms depend on the physiological traits of these organisms during evolution.     

高效广谱复合光催化抗菌剂Ag-AgVO3/BiVO4的设计合成及抗菌机制

合成了一种具有树叶状形貌的Ag-AgVO₃/BiVO₄复合光催化抗菌剂, 并对其晶体结构、 形貌、 组成及光学性质等进行了表征. 研究结果表明, 以3,3',5,5'-四甲基联苯胺(TMB)的氧化反应为模型, Ag-AgVO₃/BiVO₄表现出优异的光响应类氧化酶活性. 光催化抗菌实验结果表明, Ag-AgVO₃/BiVO₄对金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌均具有良好的抗菌效果, 4 min内的抗菌效率可以达到99%以上. 采用多种实验方法系统研究了其抗菌机制: 活性物种捕获剂实验和细胞内活性氧荧光标记实验表明, 在可见光照射下, Ag-AgVO₃/BiVO₄所产生的电子与O₂反应生成的·O₂^?起主要作用; Live/Dead细胞的荧光实验、 扫描电子显微镜形貌观察实验以及处理前后细胞内外核酸和蛋白质含量的测定实验结果均证实了·O₂^?可以破坏细胞膜的完整性, 导致细胞内容物的破坏和流出, 从而造成细菌死亡. 另外, Ag-AgVO₃/BiVO₄对包括革兰氏阳性菌、 革兰氏阴性菌和真菌在内的9种致病菌均具有良好的抗菌效果, 说明其具有广谱抗菌性能.     

Rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria by capillary electrophoretic analysis of rRNA genes

Molecular diagnosis is playing an increasingly important role in the rapid detection and identification of pathogenic organisms in clinical samples. The genetic variation of ribosomal genes in bacteria offers an alternative to culturing for the detection and identification of these organisms. Here 16S rRNA and 16S-23S rRNA spacer region genes were chosen as the amplified targets for single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) capillary electrophoresis analysis and bacterial identification. The multiple fluorescence based SSCP method for the 16S rRNA gene and the RFLP method for the 16S-23S rRNA spacer region gene were developed and applied to the identification of pathogenic bacteria in clinical samples, in which home-made short-chained linear polyacrylamide (LPA) was used as a sieving matrix; a higher sieving capability and shorter analysis time were achieved than with a commercial sieving matrix because of the simplified template preparation procedure. A set of 270 pathogenic bacteria representing 34 species in 14 genera were analyzed, and a total of 34 unique SSCP patterns representing 34 different pathogenic bacterial species were determined. Based on the use of machine code to represent peak patterns developed in this paper, the identification of bacterial species becomes much easier.     

Cloning, expression, purification, and analysis of mannitol dehydrogenase gene mtlK from Lactobacillus brevis

The commercial production of mannitol involves high-pressure hydrogenation of fructose using a nickel catalyst, a costly process. Mannitol can be produced through fermentation by microorganisms. Currently, a few Lactobacillus strains are used to develop an efficient process for mannitol bioproduction; most of the strains produce mannitol from fructose with other products. An approach toward improving this process would be to genetically engineer Lactobacillus strains to increase fructose-to-mannitol conversion with decreased production of other products. We cloned the gene mtlK encoding mannitol-2-dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.67) that catalyzes the conversion of fructose into mannitol from Lactobacillus brevis using genomic polymerase chain reaction. The mtlK clone contains 1328 bp of DNA sequence including a 1002-bp open reading frame that consisted of 333 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of about 36 kDa. The functional mannitol-2-dehydrogenase was produced by overexpressing mtlK via pRSETa vector in Escherichia coli BL21pLysS on isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside induction. The fusion protein is able to catalyze the reduction of fructose to mannitol at pH 5.35. Similar rates of catalytic reduction were observed using either the NADH or NADPH as cofactor under in vitro assay conditions. Genetically engineered Lactobacillus plantarum TF103 carrying the mtlK gene of L. brevis indicated increased mannitol production from glucose. The evaluation of mixed sugar fermentation and mannitol production by this strain is in progress. Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the names by USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable.     

Determination of the van der Waals, electron donor and electron acceptor surface tension components of static Gram-positive microbial biofilms

A large number of studies have shown the influence of the physico-chemical properties of a surface on microbial adhesion phenomenon. In this study, we considered that the presence of a bacterial biofilm may be regarded as a “conditioning film” that may modify the physico-chemical characteristics of the support, and thus the adhesion capability of planktonic micro-organisms coming into contact with this substratum. In this context, we adapted a protocol for biofilm formation that allows, under our experimental conditions, contact angle measurements, the reference method to determine the energetic surface properties of a substratum. This made it possible to determine the van der Waals, electron acceptor and electron donor properties of static biofilms grown at 25°C on stainless-steel slides with six Gram-positive bacteria isolated in dairy plants. A variance analysis indicated significant effects (P<0.05) of the bacterial strains and of the physiological state of the micro-organisms (planktonic or sessile) on the contact angles. To link the energetic properties of the six biofilms with direct adhesion experiments, we measured the affinity of fluorescent carboxylate-modified polystyrene beads for the different biofilm surfaces. The results correlated best with the electron-acceptor components of the biofilm surface energies, stressing the importance of Lewis acid–base interactions in adhesion mechanisms.     

Phytochemical characterisation and bioprospection for antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Lippia alba Brown ex Britton & Wilson (Verbenaceae)

Ethanol extract and fractions obtained from fresh and dry aerial parts of Lippia alba were examined in order to determine their phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity and antibacterial activities. The ethanol extracts and fractions exhibited an antioxidant effect by the DPPH assay, especially samples of fresh plant. HPLC analysis of the ethyl acetate fractions identified the presence of phenolic acids and flavonoids. The ethanol extract and fractions showed activity against reference and multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis (MIC range 2000–250 μg/mL). The hexane and dichloromethane fractions of fresh plant showed better activity against reference strains of Escherichia coli (MIC of 250 and 125 μg/mL, respectively), but all extracts and fractions were less active against multidrug-resistant strains of all the Gram-negative species evaluated. The results showed that the extract and fractions of L alba aerial parts showed antibacterial activity, even against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria, and antioxidant effect (DPPH assay).     

REVIEW: metal complexes as urease inhibitors

Urease plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of several diseases and also has practical implications in other fields, such as agriculture or chemical analysis. Among the multitude of chemical species known to inhibit urease, metal complexes stand out as a special category due to their specific mechanism of action, distinct from purely organic substances. Their inhibitory activity seems to depend on the type of metal and its oxidation state as well as on the coordination environment of the central atom. Furthermore, the study of the interaction between metal ions and their complexes with urease renders valuable insights into detailed catalytic mechanisms of this enzyme. This brief survey attempts to provide an overview of the published research on urease inhibition by metal complexes.     

振荡法制备的聚多巴胺涂层的抗污染性能研究

抗生物吸附表面具有广泛的应用前景。本文中经振荡法制备的聚多巴胺涂层表现出良好的抗生物吸附性能。研究发现,经振荡法生成的聚多巴胺涂层具有小于15°的接触角,表现出超亲水性。以牛血清蛋白为模型蛋白质和以大肠杆菌与金黄色葡萄球菌为模型细菌,研究发现,该聚多巴胺涂层表现出良好的抗牛血清蛋白吸附和抗大肠杆菌与金黄色葡萄球菌吸附的性能。总体而言,该方法简便易行,所制备的聚多巴胺涂层具有良好的抗生物污染性能。     

Design,synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel pleuromutilin derivatives with 4H-pyran-4-one and pyridin-4-one substitution in the C-14 side chain

A series of novel pleuromutilin derivatives with 4H-pyran-4-one and pyridin-4-one substitution in the C-14 side chain have been designed and synthesized. In vitro antibacterial activity evaluation showed that most of the derivatives exhibited potent antibacterial activity against drug resistant Gram-positive strains. Compounds 12a, 12d, and 28 are the most active derivatives in this series, displaying activity comparable to that of retapamulin and BC-3781. As the metabolic stability of this series is not satisfactory, further modifications are going on to improve their pharmacokinetic profile.     

Bioflotation: Bacteria-Mineral Interaction for Eco-friendly and Sustainable Mineral Processing

In the current study, the action of two bacteria capable of producing biosurfactants and oxidizing iron (Fe) and sulfur (S), namely Bacillus pumilus SKC-2 and Alicyclobacillus ferrooxydans SKC/SAA-2, was investigated with respect to their ability in possessing dual-function as either bio-collector or depressant for the development of sulfide bioflotation processes. Both bacterial strains were able to produce high amounts of biosurfactants interacted with pyrite that had an important role in their adhesion on the surface of pyrite as well as the change of pyrite surface properties. Over the course of the experiments, the pH of the solutions gradually decreased to ∼3, indicating the active oxidation of pyrite minerals by bacteria. The growth of both bacterial strains resulted in the generation of biosurfactants as represented by the decrease of the surface tension of the solutions and the increase of the contact angle of the pyrite surfaces as a function of time. However, the contact angle of pyrite surfaces gradually decreased after 5 days of incubation until the experiments terminated on 30 days. Scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) analyses also confirmed the role of both bacterial strains in changing the pyrite surface properties to be more hydrophobic or more hydrophilic depending on the time of incubation. These results indicate that the changes of pyrite surface properties are clearly as the results of bacterial action, likely serving as both bio-collector or bio-frother and depressant that would be very applicable for flotation processes. These results increase our knowledge on the interactions in pyrite-bacteria complexes and could potentially be a very useful result with real exploitable value for those working on sulfide bioflotation processes.