CONCENTRATION, SOURCE OF MANGANESE AND IRON IN FERROMANGANESE NODULES AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NODULES AND SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS IN NORTH PACIFIC REGION

The concentration, source of manganese and iron in ferromanganese nodules and therelation between nodules and sedimentary environments are discussed in detail by asynthetical study on chemical information of ferromanganese nodules and correspondingsediment, pore water and geological, biological (bacteria) information in 26 stations fromthe North Pacific region (7- 13°N, 178- 165°W). The result shows that (i) the concen-tration and distribution characteristics of magnese and iron in ferromanganese nod-ules differ in different types of nodules, however, the concentration decreases with theincrease in grain sizes of nodules; (ii) the source of iron in different types of nodulesis basically the same, i. e. the slow sedimentation of overlying water; (iii) manganesein nodules comes mainly from the diffusion of Mn~(2+) in the pore water, and Mn~(2+) fromthe reduction of Mn~(4+) in sediments by the medium of bacteria. As the distribution of bac-teria is believed to be strongly affected by the sedimentary envi     

Chromatographic determination of phosphine (PH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the headspace of anaerobic bacterial enrichments using flame photometric detection

Summary A gas chromatographic method is presented which distinguishes phosphine from hydrogen sulfide and other possible headspace gases of anaerobic microbial cultures. In anaerobic cultures spiked with phosphine, this gas is recovered in the liquid and gaseous phase down to 10 pg per ml of gas or liquid. No biogenically produced phosphine was found. Phosphine in amounts as small as 30 ng per 1 can be stored for several days in glass bottles covered with rubber septa, filled with nitrogen, in the presence or absence of water or of an anaerobic bacterial culture. Due to the selectivity of the detector and the retention characteristics of the porous layer open tubular polymer column alkanes, alkenes and organosulfur compounds routinely found in anaerobic bacterial headspaces do not interfere with the analytical quantification of phosphine.     

甲基营养细菌No1甲胺脱氢酶的纯化和性质研究

甲基营养细菌Ｎｏ１甲胺脱氢酶是以色氨酸－色氨酰醌为辅基的一种特殊氧化还原酶．粗酶液经纯化后，其比活力和收得率分别为５．１ｎｍｏｌ·ｇ－１和２８％．该酶的分子量为６７０００，等电点为８．３和８．５，组成它的大、小两个亚基的分子量分别为３７０００和１５０００．甲胺脱氢酶有较好的耐热性，它能催化包括一级甲胺和二胺在内的底物反应，与甲胺反应的Ｋｍ值为２６．６μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１，最适ｐＨ为８．０．其酶催化反应可被Ｃｕ２＋抑制．该酶的吸收光谱是，在３２８ｎｍ和４２６ｎｍ呈现两个特征峰     

The differentiation and identification of pathogenic bacteria using FT-IR and multivariate statistical analysis

Correspondence analysis was used to classify the pattern-like FT-IR spectra of intact bacteria. The analysis was performed on a data set of approximately 80 normalized spectral derivatives of a selection of pathogenic bacteria. The correspondence analysis proved that the various different bacterial species were clustering in distinct regions of the correspondence maps suggesting that there do exist correlations between spectral data and biochemical/microbiological classification.     

Rapid characterization of Bacillus spores targeting species-unique peptides produced with an atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization source

New and improved strategies are eagerly sought for the rapid identification of microorganisms, particularly in mixtures. Mass spectrometry remains a powerful tool for this purpose. Small acid-soluble proteins (SASPs), which are relatively abundant in Bacillus spores, represent potential biomarkers for species characterization. Despite sharing extensive sequence homology, these proteins differ sufficiently in sequence for discrimination between species. This work focuses on the differences in sequence between SASPs from various Bacillus species. Compilation of SASP sequences from protein database searches, followed by in silico trypsin digestion and analysis of the resulting fragments, identified several species-specific peptides that could be targeted for analysis using mass spectrometry. This strategy was tested and found to be successful in the characterization of Bacillus spores both from individual species and in mixtures. Analysis was performed using an ion trap mass spectrometer with an atmospheric pressure MALDI source. This instrumentation offers the advantage of increased speed of analysis and accurate precursor ion selection for tandem mass spectrometric analysis compared with vacuum matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and time-of-flight instruments. The identification and targeting of species-specific peptides using this type of instrumentation offers a rapid, efficient strategy for the identification of Bacillus spores and can potentially be applied to different microorganisms.     

Multiplex identification of bacteria in bacterial mixtures with surface‐enhanced Raman scattering

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a technique capable of identifying each component in a mixture because of its intrinsically narrow spectral bands. In a clinical setting, the identification of bacteria from its initial culture by collecting the colonies on the culture plate significantly decreases the analysis time and the cost. The identification of bacteria from their mixtures is attempted using SERS. A simple mixing procedure of bacterial samples and concentrated colloidal suspension is proven to be mostly satisfactory for the generation of the reproducible SERS spectra that can be used for bacterial identification. The mixture of three different but related bacterial species Shigella sonnei, Proteus vulgaris, and Erwinia amylovara and three Escherichia coli strains (BFK13, BHK7, DH5 α) are used as model systems to test the feasibility of the approach. The results indicate that it is possible to identify the composition of a bacterial mixture. This approach can easily be utilized for the bacteria originating from the same source with similar growth profiles. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel method for urinary tract infection diagnosis and antibiogram using Raman spectroscopy

Urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis and antibiogram require a 48‐h waiting period using the standard conventional clinical methods. This long waiting period results in ineffective treatments, increased costs and, most importantly, in increased resistance to antibiotics. In this work, a novel method for classifying bacteria and determining their sensitivity to an antibiotic using Raman spectroscopy is described. Raman spectra belonging to three species of gram‐negative enterobacteria, which are most commonly responsible for UTIs, are classified with over 94% accuracy using novel feature extraction and discriminant analysis. Sensitivity to ciprofloxacin is also clearly evident as early as 2 h after treatment by differences in the Raman spectra of bacteria treated or not treated with this antibiotic. The proposed technique can become the basis for the development of new technology for UTI diagnosis and antibiogram with same day results, thus avoiding urine cultures and all undesirable consequences of current practice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Inoculated Lactic Acid Fermentation on the Fermentable Saccharides and Polyols,Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity Changes in Wheat Sourdough

Inoculation of sourdough allows the fermentation medium to be dominated by desired microorganisms, which enables determining the kinetics of the conversion of chemical compounds by individual microorganisms. This knowledge may allow the design of functional food products with health features dedicated to consumers with special needs. The aim of the study was to assess the dynamics of transformations of fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide and polyol (FODMAP) compounds from wheat flour as well as their antioxidant activity during inoculated and spontaneous sourdough fermentation. The FODMAP content in grain products was determined by the fructan content with negligible amounts of sugars and polyols. To produce a low-FODMAP cereal product, the fermentation time is essential. The 72 h fermentation time of L. plantarum-inoculated sourdough reduced the FODMAP content by 91%. The sourdough fermentation time of at least 72 h also positively influenced the content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity, regardless of the type of fermentation. The inoculation of both L. plantarum and L. casei contributed to a similar degree to the reduction in FODMAP in sourdough compared to spontaneous fermentation.     

DMOA-based meroterpenoids with diverse scaffolds from the sponge-associated fungus Penicillium brasilianum

Bioinformatics analysis of the synthetic gene clusters in association with the qRT-PCR detection led to speculate a marine derived fungus, Penicillium brasilianum WZXY-m122-9, to be potential to produce meroterpenoids. Chromatographic separation of the EtOAc extract of this fungal strain on a large-scale fermentation resulted in the isolation of six new DMOA-related meroterpenoids, namely brasilianoids G?L (1–6), together with nine known meroterpenes. Their structures were determined by extensive analyses of spectroscopic data, including the X-ray diffraction and the ECD data for configurational assignment. Brasilianoid G is characterized by the presence of an unprecedented scaffold bearing a 6/6/5/5/5 pentacyclic nucleus, while brasilianoid K possessing a 7/6/6/6/5 pentacyclic system is uncommonly found from nature. The biogenetic relationship among the isolated compounds was postulated based on the comparative analyses of gene clusters. Brasilianoid L (6), austinol (12), and dehydroaustin (14) exhibited significant inhibition against bacteria invasion into host cells, that was suggested to be mediated by preventing the polymerization of actin in the host cells.     

Sulfonium,an Underestimated Moiety for Structural Modification,Alters the Antibacterial Profile of Vancomycin Against Multidrug‐Resistant Bacteria

In the antibiotics arsenal, vancomycin is a last resort for the treatment of intractable infections. However, this situation is under threat because of the increasing appearance of vancomycin‐resistant bacteria (VRB). Herein, we report a series of novel vancomycin derivatives carrying a sulfonium moiety. The sulfonium–vancomycin derivatives exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity against VRB both in vitro and in vivo. These derivatives also exhibited activity against some Gram‐negative bacteria. The sulfonium modification enhanced the interaction of vancomycin with the bacterial cell membrane and disrupts membrane integrity. Furthermore, the in vivo pharmacokinetic profile, stability, and toxicity of these derivatives demonstrated good druggability of the sulfonium–vancomycin analogues. This work provides a promising strategy for combating drug‐resistant bacterial infection, and advances the knowledge on sulfonium derivatives for structural optimization and drug development.