MicrobiologyThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Effects of ergosterol on the structure and activity of Neurospora mitochondrial porin in liposomesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Denice C. Bay and Deborah A. Court - Mitochondrial porins (also known as voltage-dependent anion-selective channels (VDACs)) regulate and contribute to cellular metabolism. These proteins copurify with sterols, and some purified forms of... (Source: Canadian Journal of Microbiology)
Source: Canadian Journal of Microbiology - November 20, 2009 Category: Microbiology Source Type: journals

Silencing of a putative immunophilin gene in the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus increases the infection rate of Babesia bovis in larval progenyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The silencing of the Imnp, Spi or Lpc genes decreased the fitness of R. microplus females fed on a calf during acute B. bovis infection. The Imnp gene data suggest that this putative immunophilin gene is involved in the defense system of R. microplus against B. bovis and may play a role in controlling the protozoan infection in tick ovaries and larval progeny. (Source: Parasites and Vectors)
Source: Parasites and Vectors - November 20, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Reginaldo BastosMassaro UetiFelix GuerreroDonald KnowlesGlen Scoles Source Type: journals

A fatal case of spinal tuberculosis mistaken for metastatic lung cancer: recalling ancient Pott's diseaseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The rapid diagnosis of spinal TB demands a high index of suspicion and expertise regarding the appropriate diagnostic procedures. Due to the devastating consequences of a missed diagnosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis should be considered early in every case of spondylitis, intraspinal or paravertebral abscess. The presence of certain alarm signals like a prolonged history of progressive back pain, constitutional symptoms or pulmonary nodules on a chest radiograph, particularly in the upper lobes, may guide the clinical suspicion. (Source: Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials)
Source: Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials - November 20, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Felix RingshausenAndrea TannapfelVolkmar NicolasAndreas WeberHans-Werner DuchnaGerhard Schultze-WerninghausGernot Rohde Source Type: journals

Kocuria SM1 controls vibriosis in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Kocuria SM1 successfully controlled vibriosis in rainbow trout, and the mode of action reflected stimulation of the host innate immune system.Significance and Impact of the Study: Probiotics can contribute a significant role in fish disease control strategies, and their use may replace some of the inhibitory chemicals currently used in fish farms. (Source: Journal of Applied Microbiology)
Source: Journal of Applied Microbiology - November 20, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: S.M. Sharifuzzaman, B. Austin Source Type: journals

Specific detection of Arcobacter spp. in estuarine waters of Southern Italy by PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridizationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Culturable and nonculturable forms of Arcobacter in the estuarine environment were present. PCR assays were more sensitive than traditional culture in detecting Arcobacter butzleri and A. cryaerophilus. FISH comparatively to PCR technique may provide information about cell morphology and viability of single cells.Significance and Impact of the Study: Our investigation indicates the existence of an environmental reservoir of potential pathogenic arcobacters in an estuarine Italian area, which may survive under a viable but not culturable state. (Source: Letters in Applied Microbiology)
Source: Letters in Applied Microbiology - November 20, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: M.T. Fera, C. Gugliandolo, V. Lentini, A. Favaloro, D. Bonanno, E. La Camera, T.L. Maugeri Source Type: journals

Competitive activation of the Escherichia coli argO gene coding for an arginine exporter by the transcriptional regulators Lrp and ArgPEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In vivo and in vitro analyses indicate that transcription of the argO gene coding for an arginine exporter is regulated by the global transcriptional regulator Lrp, an effect that went by unnoticed in previous genome-scale screenings of the Lrp regulatory network in Escherichia coli. Lrp activates the argO promoter fourfold; exogenous leucine antagonizes, but does not completely eliminate this effect. Activation by Lrp interferes with the previously demonstrated activation of the argO promoter by ArgP. This interference results from the mutual inhibitory binding of the two activators to overlapping targets. As a consequenc...
Source: Molecular Microbiology - November 20, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Eveline Peeters, Phu Nguyen Le Minh, Maria Foulquié-Moreno, Daniel Charlier Source Type: journals

The Tat pathway of plant pathogen Dickeya dadantii 3937 contributes to virulence and fitnessEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Protein secretion plays a very important role in the virulence of the bacterium Dickeya dadantii, the causative agent of soft rot disease, in a wide range of plant species. We studied the contribution of the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) protein system to the adaptation of D. dadantii 3937 to different growth conditions and to the interaction with the plant host. First, a list of 44 putative Tat substrates was obtained using bioinformatic programs taking advantage of the availability of the complete sequence of this bacterium. Second, a tatC mutant strain was constructed and analysed. The mutant displayed a pleiotropic...
Source: FEMS Microbiology Letters - November 20, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Manuel Rodríguez-Sanz, María Antúnez-Lamas, Carlos Rojas, Emilia López-Solanilla, José M. Palacios, Pablo Rodríguez-Palenzuela, Luis Rey Source Type: journals

Overexpression and characterization of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate granule bound polymerases from Pseudomonas putida GPo1Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The kinetic properties and substrate ranges were determined for both granule bound polymerases. PhaC1 and PhaC2 exhibited different characteristics in granule release and activity profiles, suggesting that there are substantial functional differences between granule bound PhaC1 and PhaC2. (Source: Microbial Cell Factories)
Source: Microbial Cell Factories - November 19, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Qun RenGuy de RooBernard WitholtManfred ZinnLinda Thony-Meyer Source Type: journals

Rapid cleavage of RNA by RNase E in the absence of 5' monophosphate stimulationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The best characterized pathway for the initiation of mRNA degradation in Escherichia coli involves the removal of the 5'-terminal pyrophosphate to generate a monophosphate group that stimulates endonucleolytic cleavage by RNase E. We show here however, using well-characterized oligonucleotide substrates and mRNA transcripts, that RNase E can cleave certain RNAs rapidly without requiring a 5'-monophosphorylated end. Moreover, the minimum substrate requirement for this mode of cleavage, which can be categorized as 'direct' or 'internal' entry, appears to be multiple single-stranded segments in a conformational context that a...
Source: Molecular Microbiology - November 19, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Louise Kime, Stefanie S. Jourdan, Jonathan A. Stead, Ana Hidalgo-Sastre, Kenneth J. McDowall Source Type: journals

Influence of RpoS, cAMP-receptor protein, and ppGpp on expression of the opgGH operon and osmoregulated periplasmic glucan content of Salmonella enterica serovar TyphimuriumEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Cristina S. Costa, Ramón A. Pizarro, and Dora N. Antón - A transcriptional fusion (opgG1::MudJ) to the opgGH operon of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) LT2, isolated by resistance to mecillinam, was used to study... (Source: Canadian Journal of Microbiology)
Source: Canadian Journal of Microbiology - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Source Type: journals

A Tail of Tetherin: How Pandemic HIV-1 Conquered the World.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The study of successful versus failed zoonotic infections may provide important clues of how viral infection is naturally prevented. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, a collaborative group led by Frank Kirchhoff uncovers an important piece of the pandemic HIV-1 puzzle. PMID: 19917491 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cell Host and Microbe)
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Gupta RK, Towers GJ Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Jenner's Irony: Cowpox Taps into T Cell Evasion.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CPXV12 is the first poxvirus gene product demonstrated to inhibit the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). This cowpox virus function acts in concert with a second gene product, CPXV203, to efficiently suppress MHC class I antigen presentation and enhance in vivo virulence. PMID: 19917492 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cell Host and Microbe)
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Wilkinson GW, Lehner PJ Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

How aging compromises antiviral defenses: a role for imbalanced innate cytokine production.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Aging causes enhanced susceptibility to viral infections. Stout-Delgado et al. (2009) report increased IL-17A production but reduced type I interferon levels in old mice infected by herpes viruses. This imbalance between proinflammatory and antiviral innate cytokine responses causes immunopathology and compromises virus control, which together lead to death by liver failure. PMID: 19917493 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cell Host and Microbe)
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Guiton R, Dalod M Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

A bacterial pathogen flips the riboswitch.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Riboswitches are RNA structures traditionally viewed as acting in cis to regulate downstream gene expression in bacteria. In a recent issue of Cell, Loh and colleagues report on the ability of a riboswitch to act in trans to modulate the expression of a critical bacterial virulence regulator. PMID: 19917494 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cell Host and Microbe)
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Xayarath B, Freitag NE Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

War and Peace between Microbes: HIV-1 Interactions with Coinfecting Viruses.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
HIV-1 disrupts the homeostatic equilibrium between the host and coinfecting microbes, facilitating reactivation of persistent viruses and invasion by new viruses. These viruses usually accelerate HIV disease but occasionally create conditions detrimental for HIV-1. Understanding these phenomena may lead to anti-HIV-1 strategies that specifically target interactions between HIV-1 and coinfecting viruses. PMID: 19917495 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cell Host and Microbe)
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Lisco A, Vanpouille C, Margolis L Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Tetherin-Driven Adaptation of Vpu and Nef Function and the Evolution of Pandemic and Nonpandemic HIV-1 Strains.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
rchhoff F Vpu proteins of pandemic HIV-1 M strains degrade the viral receptor CD4 and antagonize human tetherin to promote viral release and replication. We show that Vpus from SIVgsn, SIVmus, and SIVmon infecting Cercopithecus primate species also degrade CD4 and antagonize tetherin. In contrast, SIVcpz, the immediate precursor of HIV-1, whose Vpu shares a common ancestry with SIVgsn/mus/mon Vpu, uses Nef rather than Vpu to counteract chimpanzee tetherin. Human tetherin, however, is resistant to Nef and thus poses a significant barrier to zoonotic transmission of SIVcpz to humans. Remarkably, Vpus from nonpandemic HIV...
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Sauter D, Schindler M, Specht A, Landford WN, Münch J, Kim KA, Votteler J, Schubert U, Bibollet-Ruche F, Keele BF, Takehisa J, Ogando Y, Ochsenbauer C, Kappes JC, Ayouba A, Peeters M, Learn GH, Shaw G, Sharp PM, Bieniasz P, Hahn BH, Hatziioannou T, K Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Two mechanistically distinct immune evasion proteins of cowpox virus combine to avoid antiviral CD8 T cells.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Downregulation of MHC class I on the cell surface is an immune evasion mechanism shared by many DNA viruses, including cowpox virus. Previously, a cowpox virus protein, CPXV203, was shown to downregulate MHC class I. Here we report that CPXV12 is the only other MHC class I-regulating protein of cowpox virus and that it uses a mechanism distinct from that of CPXV203. Whereas CPXV203 retains fully assembled MHC class I by exploiting the KDEL-mediated endoplasmic reticulum retention pathway, CPXV12 binds to the peptide-loading complex and inhibits peptide loading on MHC class I molecules. Viruses deleted of both CPXV12 an...
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Byun M, Verweij MC, Pickup DJ, Wiertz EJ, Hansen TH, Yokoyama WM Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Cowpox virus inhibits the transporter associated with antigen processing to evade T cell recognition.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Cowpox virus encodes an extensive array of putative immunomodulatory proteins, likely contributing to its wide host range, which includes zoonotic infections in humans. Unlike Vaccinia virus, cowpox virus prevents stimulation of CD8(+) T cells, a block that correlated with retention of MHC class I in the endoplasmic reticulum by the cowpox virus protein CPXV203. However, deletion of CPXV203 did not restore MHC class I transport or T cell stimulation. Here, we demonstrate the contribution of an additional viral protein, CPXV12, which interferes with MHC class I/peptide complex formation by inhibiting peptide translocati...
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Alzhanova D, Edwards DM, Hammarlund E, Scholz IG, Horst D, Wagner MJ, Upton C, Wiertz EJ, Slifka MK, Früh K Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Aging Promotes Neutrophil-Induced Mortality by Augmenting IL-17 Production during Viral Infection.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Morbidity and mortality associated with viral infections increase with age, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we investigated whether aging alters inflammatory responses during systemic viral infection and thereby contributes to virus-induced death. We found that infection of aged mice with systemic herpes viruses led to rapid increases in serum IL-17, neutrophil activation, and mortality due to hepatocyte necrosis. In contrast, all young mice survived infection, displaying weaker IL-17 induction and neutrophil activation. Natural killer T (NKT) cells isolated from the livers of aged mice produced m...
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Stout-Delgado HW, Du W, Shirali AC, Booth CJ, Goldstein DR Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Induced ER Chaperones Regulate a Receptor-like Kinase to Mediate Antiviral Innate Immune Response in Plants.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mounting an effective innate immune response against pathogens requires the rapid and global reprogramming of host cellular processes. Here we employed complementary proteomic methods to identify differentially regulated proteins early during a plant's defense response. Besides defense-related proteins, constituents of the largest category of upregulated proteins were cytoplasmic- and ER-residing molecular chaperones. Investigating the significance of upregulated ER chaperones, we find that silencing of ER-resident protein disulfide isomerases NbERp57 and NbP5 and the calreticulins NbCRT2 and NbCRT3 led to partial loss...
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Caplan JL, Zhu X, Mamillapalli P, Marathe R, Anandalakshmi R, Dinesh-Kumar SP Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Inflammatory Monocytes Facilitate Adaptive CD4 T Cell Responses during Respiratory Fungal Infection.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Aspergillus fumigatus, a ubiquitous fungus, causes invasive disease in immunocompromised humans. Although monocytes and antigen-specific CD4 T cells contribute to defense against inhaled fungal spores, how these cells interact during infection remains undefined. Investigating the role of inflammatory monocytes and monocyte-derived dendritic cells during fungal infection, we find that A. fumigatus infection induces an influx of chemokine receptor CCR2- and Ly6C-expressing inflammatory monocytes into lungs and draining lymph nodes. Depletion of CCR2(+) cells reduced A. fumigatus conidial transport from lungs to draining ...
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Hohl TM, Rivera A, Lipuma L, Gallegos A, Shi C, Mack M, Pamer EG Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Antibodies against a Tick Protein, Salp15, Protect Mice from the Lyme Disease Agent.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Traditionally, vaccines directly target a pathogen or microbial toxin. Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is a tick-borne illness for which a human vaccine is not currently available. B. burgdorferi binds a tick salivary protein, Salp15, during transmission from the vector, and this interaction facilitates infection of mice. We now show that Salp15 antiserum significantly protected mice from B. burgdorferi infection. Salp15 antiserum also markedly enhanced the protective capacity of antibodies against B. burgdorferi antigens, such as OspA or OspC. Mice actively immunized with Salp15 were also significantly p...
Source: Cell Host and Microbe - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Dai J, Wang P, Adusumilli S, Booth CJ, Narasimhan S, Anguita J, Fikrig E Tags: Cell Host Microbe Source Type: journals

Very early acetaldehyde production by industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains: a new intrinsic character.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
During a general survey of the acetaldehyde-producing properties of commercially available wine yeast strains, we discovered that, although final acetaldehyde production cannot be used as a discriminating factor between yeast strains, initial specific acetaldehyde production rates were of highly interest for classifying yeast strains. This parameter is very closely related to the growth- and fermentation-lag phase durations. We also found that this acetaldehyde early production occurs with very different extent between commercial active dry yeast strains during the rehydration phase and could partially explain the know...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Cheraiti N, Guezenec S, Salmon JM Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

Description of the novel perchlorate-reducing bacteria Dechlorobacter hydrogenophilus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Propionivibrio militaris, sp. nov.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Novel dissimilatory perchlorate-reducing bacteria (DPRB) were isolated from enrichments conducted under conditions different from those of all previously described DPRB. Strain LT-1(T) was enriched using medium buffered at pH 6.6 with 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) and had only 95% 16S rRNA gene identity with its closest relative, Azonexus caeni. Strain MP(T) was enriched in the cathodic chamber of a perchlorate-reducing bioelectrical reactor (BER) and together with an additional strain, CR (99% 16S rRNA gene identity), had 97% 16S rRNA gene identity with Propionivibrio limicola. The use of perchlorate and o...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Thrash JC, Pollock J, Torok T, Coates JD Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

A downstream process for production of a viable and stable Bacillus cereus aquaculture biological agent.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examines the development of suitable spore recovery, drying, formulation and tablet production from the fermentation product. Key criteria used for such downstream process unit evaluation included spore viability, recovery, spore balance, spore re-germination, product intermediate stability, end product stability and efficacy. A process flow sheet comprising vertical tube centrifugation, fluidised bed agglomeration and tablet pressing yielded a suitable product. The formulation included corn steep liquor and glucose to enhance subsequent spore re-germination. Viable spore recovery and spore balance closure acros...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Lalloo R, Maharajh D, Görgens J, Gardiner N Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

One gram of soil: a microbial biochemical gene library.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
One gram of soil is an immense biochemical gene library producing diverse genetic instructions, which have been present for almost 4 billion years on the Earth. There is sufficient DNA in 1 g of soil to extend 1,598 km. However, this is certainly an underestimate for fertile soils. Can the amount of genetic information contained in one g of soil be accurately estimated? The answer is not always definitive as the estimate depends on the particular g of soil being researched and the methods for DNA extraction, purification and quantification. Moreover, there is no such entity as a typical or average g of soil. Extraction...
Source: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Trevors JT Tags: Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek Source Type: journals

Isolation of Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio splendidus from captive-bred seahorses with disease symptoms.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Vibrio species isolated from diseased seahorses were characterized by PCR amplification of repetitive bacterial DNA elements (rep-PCR) and identified by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis. The results demonstrated that Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio splendidus were predominant in the lesions of these seahorses. To our knowledge, this is the first time that these bacterial species have been associated with disease symptoms in captive-bred seahorses. PMID: 19921544 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek)
Source: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Balcázar JL, Gallo-Bueno A, Planas M, Pintado J Tags: Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek Source Type: journals

Molecular intraspecific characterization of Photobacterium damselae ssp. damselae strains affecting cultured marine fishEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: In this study, the techniques tested are confirmed as good tools for molecular typing, because they allow discrimination between P. damselae ssp. damselae strains isolated within the same outbreak. In addition, ERIC-PCR and REP-PCR methods were more adequate for rapid typing of P. damselae ssp. damselae than RAPD, allowing the discrimination at strain level.Significance and Impact of the Study: The results, in agreement with previous studies, confirmed the high intraspecific variability among isolated P. damselae ssp. damselae strains at both phenotypic and genetic levels. This suggests the existence of differ...
Source: Journal of Applied Microbiology - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: A. Labella, M. Manchado, M.C. Alonso, D. Castro, J.L. Romalde, J.J. Borrego Source Type: journals

Analyses of binding sequences of the PhaR protein of Rhodobacter sphaeroides FJ1Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we determined that PhaR binds to an 11-bp palindromic sequence, 5'-CTGCN3GCAG-3', located at nucleotides [minus]69 to [minus]59 and [minus]97 to [minus]87 relative to the translation start site of phaP. Substitution of the three spacer nucleotides with any three or four nucleotides in this sequence had no effect on PhaR binding, but all other base deletions or substitutions in this sequence abolished its ability to bind PhaR both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that PhaR regulates the expression of phaP in R. sphaeroides FJ1. (Source: FEMS Microbiology Letters)
Source: FEMS Microbiology Letters - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Min-En Chou, Mei-Kwei Yang Source Type: journals

Regulation and secretion of Xanthomonas virulence factorsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Plant pathogenic bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas cause a variety of diseases in economically important monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous crop plants worldwide. Successful infection and bacterial multiplication in the host tissue often depend on the virulence factors secreted including adhesins, polysaccharides, LPS and degradative enzymes. One of the key pathogenicity factors is the type III secretion system, which injects effector proteins into the host cell cytosol to manipulate plant cellular processes such as basal defense to the benefit of the pathogen. The coordinated expression of bacterial virulence factors is ...
Source: FEMS Microbiology Reviews - November 18, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Daniela Büttner, Ulla Bonas Source Type: journals

Long-term flaxseed oil supplementation diet protects BALB/c mice against Streptococcus pneumoniae infectionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Abstract Intense host immune response to infection contributes significantly to the pathology of pneumococcal pneumonia. Therefore, the regulation of host immune response is critical for the successful outcome of pneumonia in such patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of n-3 PUFA, i.e. flaxseed oil supplementation for short (4 weeks) as well as long (9 weeks) term, on the course of S. pneumoniae D39 serotype 2 infection in mice. The efficacy of flaxseed oil supplementation was investigated in terms of survival of animals and production of various inflammatory molecule...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Tags: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Source Type: journals

A plate method for screening of bacteria capable of degrading aliphatic nitriles.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A novel indicator plate method was developed for screening of aliphatic-nitrile-degrading bacteria. Isolated bacteria were tested for utilization of acetonitrile as sole source of carbon and nitrogen with the release of ammonia. The released ammonia causes increase of the pH of the medium. Phenol red indicator is used for detection of ammonia based on colour change of the indicator dye from red to pink. The liberation of ammonia from aliphatic-nitrile-utilizing bacteria is also studied in plates containing other indicators such as bromothymol blue and phenolphthalein. The usefulness of the indicator plate is demonstrat...
Source: Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Santoshkumar M, Nayak AS, Anjaneya O, Karegoudar TB Tags: J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

Hybridization in Endophyte Symbionts Alters Host Response to Moisture and Nutrient Treatments.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
When a host organism is infected by a symbiont, the resulting symbiotum has a phenotype distinct from uninfected hosts. Genotypic interactions between the partners may increase phenotypic variation of the host at the population level. Neotyphodium is an asexual, vertically transmitted endophytic symbiont of grasses often existing in hybrid form. Hybridization in Neotyphodium rapidly increases the symbiotum's genomic content and is likely to increase the phenotypic variation of the host. This phenotypic variation is predicted to enhance host performance, especially in stressful environments. We tested this hypothesis by...
Source: Microbial Ecology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Hamilton CE, Dowling TE, Faeth SH Tags: Microb Ecol Source Type: journals

Oxygen-induced expression of (6)-, (9)- and (12)-desaturase genes modulates fatty acid composition in Mucor rouxii.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The effect of oxygen availability on the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis was investigated in Mucor rouxii, a Mucorale fungus capable of producing gamma-linolenic acid through perturbation of the gaseous environment. Shifting of the M. rouxii culture from anaerobic to aerobic conditions resulted in an increase of the biomass and total fatty acid content of the M. rouxii culture. In addition, the levels of unsaturated fatty acids were enhanced accompanied by a decrease in the levels of medium- and long-chain saturated fatty acids. These results correspond to the levels of expressions of the (9)-, (12)- an...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ruenwai R, Cheevadhanarak S, Rachdawong S, Tanticharoen M, Laoteng K Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

Engineering lower inhibitor affinities in beta-D: -xylosidase.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We report here the development of a two-tier high-throughput screen where the 1 degrees screen selects for activity (active/inactive screen) and the 2 degrees screen selects for a higher K (i(d-xylose)) and its subsequent use in screening approximately 5,900 members of an SXA enzyme library prepared using error-prone PCR. In one variant, termed SXA-C3, K (i(d-xylose)) is threefold and K (i(d-glucose)) is twofold that of wild-type SXA. C3 contains four amino acid mutations, and one of these, W145G, is responsible for most of the lost affinity for the monosaccharides. Experiments that probe the active site with ligands that ...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Fan Z, Yuan L, Jordan DB, Wagschal K, Heng C, Braker JD Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

Identification in Agrobacterium tumefaciens of the D: -galacturonic acid dehydrogenase gene.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There are at least three different pathways for the catabolism of D: -galacturonate in microorganisms. In the oxidative pathway, which was described in some prokaryotic species, D: -galacturonate is first oxidised to meso-galactarate (mucate) by a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.203). In the following steps of the pathway mucate is converted to 2-keto-glutarate. The enzyme activities of this catabolic pathway have been described while the corresponding gene sequences are still unidentified. The D: -galacturonate dehydrogenase was purified from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and the...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Boer H, Maaheimo H, Koivula A, Penttilä M, Richard P Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

An L-arabinose isomerase from Acidothermus cellulolytics ATCC 43068: cloning, expression, purification, and characterization.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The araA gene encoding an L-arabinose isomerase (L-AI) from the acido-thermophilic bacterium Acidothermus cellulolytics ATCC 43068 was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The open reading frame of the L-AI consisted of 1,503 nucleotides encoding 501 amino acid residues. The recombinant L-AI was purified to homogeneity by heat treatment, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be approximately 55 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme was optimally active at 75 degrees C and pH 7.5. It required divalent me...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Cheng L, Mu W, Zhang T, Jiang B Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

Microbial conversion of ruscogenin by Gliocladium deliquescens NRRL1086: glycosylation at C-1.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The glycosylation of ruscogenin (1) by Gliocladium deliquescens NRRL 1086 was observed and gave a regioselectively glycosylated product identified as ruscogenin 1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) by infrared, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. Time-course studies indicated that it appeared to be favorable to accumulate 2 when ruscogenin was added to the 24-h-old stage II culture, and the yield of 2 was about 20.1% during 120 approximately 168 h. It was noted that additional carbohydrates could significantly increase glycoside formation and the yield of 2 even reached as high as 68% compared with the...
Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Chen ND, Zhang J, Liu JH, Yu BY Tags: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: journals

In Vitro Synergistic Activities of Essential Oils and Surfactants in Combination with Cosmetic Preservatives Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study is to evaluate possible synergistic antimicrobial interactions between common cosmetic preservatives and selected essential oils or surfactants. The antimicrobial efficacy of six essential oils, three surfactants and five preservatives against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43387 was assessed by a broth micro-dilution assay. MICs for individual and combined antimicrobials were determined and then transformed to fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) indexes. All essential oils exhibited antibacterial activity; among surfactants, bacteria resulted most susceptibl...
Source: Current Microbiology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Patrone V, Campana R, Vittoria E, Baffone W Tags: Curr Microbiol Source Type: journals

Proteomic Analysis of the Effect of Cyanide on Klebsiella oxytoca.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Cyanide has been proved to be degraded by Klebsiella oxytoca. In order to examine the physiological responses of cyanide degradation by this bacterium, two-dimensional (2-DE) electrophoresis approach and MALDI-TOF-MS allow us to identify 106 proteins spots that were significantly altered in the presence of 1 mM cyanide in relative to that in 1 mM ammonia when K. oxytoca grown at the late-log phase. Among them, 27 proteins were successfully identified. These proteins were involved in carbohydrate metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, amino acid metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, stress responses, oxidation-reduction reaction...
Source: Current Microbiology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Tang P, Hseu YC, Chou HH, Huang KY, Chen SC Tags: Curr Microbiol Source Type: journals

Novel Integron Gene Cassette Arrays Identified in a Global Collection of Multi-Drug Resistant Non-Typhoidal Salmonella enterica.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Investigation of integron carriage in a global collection of multi-drug resistant Salmonella enterica identified 3 unique class 1 integron gene cassette arrays not previously reported in this species. The present study used PCR and DNA sequence analysis to characterize the structure of these gene cassette arrays. A ~4.0 kb integron containing the gene cassette array arr2/cmlA5/bla (OXA10) /aadA1 was found in isolates belonging to serovars Isangi and Typhimurium from South Africa. A ~6.0 kb integron containing the gene cassettes aac(6')IIc/ereA2/IS1247/aac/arr/ereA2 was found in isolates belonging to serovar Heidelberg ...
Source: Current Microbiology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Krauland M, Harrison L, Paterson D, Marsh J Tags: Curr Microbiol Source Type: journals

The pheV Phenylalanine tRNA Gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates Is an Integration Hotspot for Possible Niche-Adaptation Genomic Islands.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Horizontally acquired genomic islands may allow bacteria to conquer and colonize previously uncharted niches. Four Klebsiella pneumoniae tRNA gene insertion hotspots (arg6, asn34, met56, and pheV) in 101 clinical isolates derived from blood, sputum, wound, bile or urine specimens were screened by long-range PCR for the presence or absence of integrated islands. The pheV phenylalanine tRNA gene was the most frequently occupied site and harbored at least three entirely distinct types of islands: (1) KpGI-1, a 3.7 kb island coding for four proteins, three of which showed high similarity to two hypothetical proteins and a ...
Source: Current Microbiology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Chen N, Ou HY, van Aartsen JJ, Jiang X, Li M, Yang Z, Wei Q, Chen X, He X, Deng Z, Rajakumar K, Lu Y Tags: Curr Microbiol Source Type: journals

Distribution of Brugia malayi larvae and DNA in vector and non-vector mosquitoes: implications for molecular diagnosticsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: This study provides new information on the distribution of filarial parasites and parasite DNA in vector and non-vector mosquitoes. This information should be useful for those involved in designing and interpreting molecular xenomonitoring studies. (Source: Parasites and Vectors)
Source: Parasites and Vectors - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Sara EricksonKerstin FischerGary WeilBruce ChristensenPeter Fischer Source Type: journals

Interaction between phosphorus and biodegradable organic carbon on drinking water biofilm subject to chlorinationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Biodegradable organic carbon was found to be the primary nutrient in regulating biofilm formation in drinking water regardless of the presence of chlorine. It can be therefore concluded that the removal of an easily biodegradable organic carbon is necessary to minimize the biofilm growth potential induced by the intrusion of phosphorus.Significance and Impact of the Study: Phosphorus introduced to drinking water may interact with biodegradable organic carbon, thus leading to measurable impact on the biofilm formation. (Source: Journal of Applied Microbiology)
Source: Journal of Applied Microbiology - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: S.-K. Park, J.Y. Hu Source Type: journals

Conjugative DNA metabolism in Gram-negative bacteriaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Bacterial conjugation in Gram-negative bacteria is triggered by a signal that connects the relaxosome to the coupling protein (T4CP) and transferosome, a type IV secretion system. The relaxosome, a nucleoprotein complex formed at the origin of transfer (oriT), consists of a relaxase, directed to the nic site by auxiliary DNA-binding proteins. The nic site undergoes cleavage and religation during vegetative growth, but this is converted to a cleavage and unwinding reaction when a competent mating pair has formed. Here, we review the biochemistry of relaxosomes and ponder some of the remaining questions about the nature of t...
Source: FEMS Microbiology Reviews - November 17, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Fernando de la Cruz, Laura S. Frost, Richard J. Meyer, Ellen L. Zechner Source Type: journals

Global Reemergence of Tuberculosis: Are Host Defense Peptides an Option to Ameliorate Disease Burden?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Microbial Drug Resistance , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: Microbial Drug Resistance)
Source: Microbial Drug Resistance - November 16, 2009 Category: Microbiology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Effect of New Breakpoints Proposed by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute in 2008 for Evaluating Penicillin Resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in a Turkish University HospitalEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Microbial Drug Resistance , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: Microbial Drug Resistance)
Source: Microbial Drug Resistance - November 16, 2009 Category: Microbiology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Development of a DNA Microarray to Detect Antimicrobial Resistance Genes Identified in the National Center for Biotechnology Information DatabaseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Microbial Drug Resistance , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: Microbial Drug Resistance)
Source: Microbial Drug Resistance - November 16, 2009 Category: Microbiology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Host response: Spotlight on SFBEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 840 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2277 Author: Katrina Ray The human gut is home to trillions of commensal microorganisms, and we are beginning to understand how these microorganisms interact with, and influence, the host immune system. New research published in Immunity and Cell now reveals that a specific commensal species, segmented filamentous (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 16, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Katrina Ray Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: journals

Fungal metabolism: Completing the circleEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 842 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2276 Author: Sheilagh Molloy Fungi can produce an impressive variety of secondary metabolites, the most abundant of which are the polyketides. Reporting in Nature, Jason Crawford, Tyler Korman and colleagues present the mechanistic basis of the main cyclization reaction that is necessary for the production of the potent (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - November 16, 2009 Category: Microbiology Authors: Sheilagh Molloy Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: journals