Journal Articles
- Transcription Factors Tec1 and Tec2 Play Key Roles in the Hyphal Growth and Virulence of Mucor lusitanicus Through Increased Mitochondrial Oxidative Metabolism
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Viridiana Alejandre-Castañeda , J. Alberto Patiño-Medina , Marco I. Valle-Maldonado , Alexis García , Rafael Ortiz-Alvarado , León F. Ruíz-Herrera , Karla Viridiana Castro-Cerritos , Joel Ramírez-Emiliano , Martha I. Ramírez-Díaz , Victoriano Garre , Soo Chan Lee , Víctor Meza-Carmen
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J. Microbiol. 2023;61(12):1043-1062. Published online December 19, 2023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-023-00096-8
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Abstract
- Mucormycosis is a lethal and difficult-to-treat fungal infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. Mucor lusitanicus,
a member of Mucorales, is commonly used as a model to understand disease pathogenesis. However, transcriptional control
of hyphal growth and virulence in Mucorales is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of Tec proteins,
which belong to the TEA/ATTS transcription factor family, in the hyphal development and virulence of M. lusitanicus. Unlike
in the genome of Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes, which have a single Tec homologue, in the genome of Mucorales, two
Tec homologues, Tec1 and Tec2, were found, except in that of Phycomyces blakesleeanus, with only one Tec homologue.
tec1 and tec2 overexpression in M. lusitanicus increased mycelial growth, mitochondrial content and activity, expression of
the rhizoferrin synthetase-encoding gene rfs, and virulence in nematodes and wax moth larvae but decreased cAMP levels
and protein kinase A (PKA) activity. Furthermore, tec1- and tec2-overexpressing strains required adequate mitochondrial
metabolism to promote the virulent phenotype. The heterotrimeric G beta subunit 1-encoding gene deletant strain (Δgpb1)
increased cAMP-PKA activity, downregulation of both tec genes, decreased both virulence and hyphal development, but tec1
and tec2 overexpression restored these defects. Overexpression of allele-mutated variants of Tec1(S332A) and Tec2(S168A)
in the putative phosphorylation sites for PKA increased both virulence and hyphal growth of Δgpb1. These findings suggest
that Tec homologues promote mycelial development and virulence by enhancing mitochondrial metabolism and rhizoferrin
accumulation, providing new information for the rational control of the virulent phenotype of M. lusitanicus.
- The Regulation of Phosphorus Release by Penicillium chrysogenum in Different Phosphate via the TCA Cycle and Mycelial Morphology
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Liyan Wang , Da Tian , Xiaoru Zhang , Mingxue Han , Xiaohui Cheng , Xinxin Ye , Chaochun Zhang , Hongjian Gao , Zhen Li
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J. Microbiol. 2023;61(8):765-775. Published online September 4, 2023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-023-00072-2
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Abstract
- Phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF) efficiently dissolve insoluble phosphates through the production of organic acids. This
study investigates the mechanisms of organic acid secretion by PSF, specifically Penicillium chrysogenum, under tricalcium
phosphate (
Ca3(PO4)2, Ca–P) and ferric phosphate (
FePO4, Fe–P) conditions. Penicillium chrysogenum exhibited higher
phosphorus (P) release efficiency from Ca-P (693.6 mg/L) than from Fe–P (162.6 mg/L). However, Fe–P significantly
enhanced oxalic acid (1193.7 mg/L) and citric acid (227.7 mg/L) production by Penicillium chrysogenum compared with
Ca–P (905.7 and 3.5 mg/L, respectively). The presence of Fe–P upregulated the expression of genes and activity of enzymes
related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, including pyruvate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase. Additionally, Fe–P upregulated
the expression of chitinase and endoglucanase genes, inducing a transformation of Penicillium chrysogenum mycelial
morphology from pellet to filamentous. The filamentous morphology exhibited higher efficiency in oxalic acid secretion
and P release from Fe–P and Ca–P. Compared with pellet morphology, filamentous morphology enhanced P release capacity
by > 40% and > 18% in Ca–P and Fe–P, respectively. This study explored the strategies employed by PSF to improve the
dissolution of different insoluble phosphates.
- Description of Fervidibacillus gen. nov. with Two Species, Fervidibacillus albus sp. nov., and Fervidibacillus halotolerans sp. nov., Isolated from Tidal Flat Sediments and Emendation of Misclassificed Taxa in the Genus Caldibacillus
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Sung , Mi , Hyun , Kae Kyoung Kwon
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J. Microbiol. 2023;61(2):175-187. Published online February 17, 2023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-023-00022-y
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Abstract
- Two Gram-stain-positive, motile, endospore-forming, facultatively anaerobic strains, designated MEBiC13591T
and
MEBiC13594T,
were isolated from tidal flat sediment of the Incheon City on the west coast of Korea. Growth of both
novel strains was observed at pH 5–9 (optimum, pH 7–7.5), and in 0–8% NaCl (optimum, 2% for MEBiC13591T
and
3% for MEBiC13594T).
Strains MEBiC13591T
and MEBiC13594T
grew optimally at 50 °C, (37.5–56.1 °C) and 44 °C
(20.7–50.7 °C), respectively. The main cellular fatty acids of strain MEBiC13591T
were iso-C15: 0, anteiso-C15: 0, iso-C16: 0,
iso-C17: 0 and anteiso-C17: 0, while those for strain MEBiC13594T
were C14:
0, iso-C14: 0, iso-C15: 0, anteiso-C15: 0 and C16:
0. In
both taxa, the major isoprenoid was MK-7. The genomic DNA G + C contents were 34.1 and 37.0 mol% for MEBiC13591T
and MEBiC13594T,
respectively. A 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the novel strains showed high similarity
with members of the genera Aeribacillus (95.0%) and Caldibacillus (93.5–94.5%); however, showed lower than 90%
with Caldibacillus debilis TfT.
Phylogenetic and Phylogenomic analysis revealed that two novel strains comprised distinct
phyletic line with members formerly assigned to Caldibacillus. Based on genomic indices, such as AAI and ANI, members
formerly affiliated with Caldibacillus and Bacillus as well as the novel strains should be classified into five independent
genera. Based on the phenotypic, genomic and biochemical data, strains MEBiC13591T
and MEBiC13594T
represent two
novel species in the novel genus, for which the names Fervidibacillus albus gen. nov., sp. nov. (
MEBiC13591T [= KCCM
43317T
= KCTC 43181T
= JCM 33662T
= MCCC 1K04565T]),
and Fervidibacillus halotolerans sp. nov. (
MEBiC13594T
[= KCTC 43182T
= JCM 34001T])
are proposed. Three additional genera Caldifermentibacillus, Palidibacillus, and Perspicuibacillus
are also proposed by reclassification of the several species with valid names that formerly affiliated with the
genera Caldibacillus.
- Predicting quorum sensing peptides using stacked generalization ensemble with gradient boosting based feature selection
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Muthusaravanan Sivaramakrishnan , Rahul Suresh , Kannapiran Ponraj
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J. Microbiol. 2022;60(7):756-765. Published online June 22, 2022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-022-2044-9
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4
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Abstract
- Bacteria exist in natural environments for most of their life as
complex, heterogeneous, and multicellular aggregates. Under
these circumstances, critical cell functions are controlled by
several signaling molecules known as quorum sensing (QS)
molecules. In Gram-positive bacteria, peptides are deployed
as QS molecules. The development of antibodies against such
QS molecules has been identified as a promising therapeutic
intervention for bacterial control. Hence, the identification of
QS peptides has received considerable attention. Availability
of a fast and reliable predictive model to effectively identify QS
peptides can help the existing high throughput experiments.
In this study, a stacked generalization ensemble model with
Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM)-based feature selection,
namely EnsembleQS was developed to predict QS peptides
with high accuracy. On selected GBM features (791D), the
EnsembleQS outperformed finely tuned baseline classifiers
and demonstrated robust performance, indicating the superiority
of the model. The accuracy of EnsembleQS is 4% higher
than those resulting from ensemble model on hybrid dataset.
When evaluating an independent data set of 40 QS peptides,
the EnsembleQS model showed an accuracy of 93.4% with
Matthew’s Correlation Coefficient (MCC) and area under the
ROC curve (AUC) values of 0.91 and 0.951, respectively. These
results
suggest that EnsembleQS will be a useful computational
framework for predicting QS peptides and will efficiently
support proteomics research. The source code and all
datasets used in this study are publicly available at https://
github.com/proteinexplorers/EnsembleQS.
Review
- COVID-19 vaccine development based on recombinant viral and bacterial vector systems: combinatorial effect of adaptive and trained immunity
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Mi-Hyun Lee , Bum-Joon Kim
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J. Microbiol. 2022;60(3):321-334. Published online February 14, 2022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-022-1621-2
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12
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Abstract
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus (SARSCoV-
2) infection, which causes coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19), has led to many cases and deaths worldwide.
Therefore, a number of vaccine candidates have been developed
to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these, to date,
21 vaccines have received emergency approval for human
use in at least one country. However, the recent global emergence
of SARS-CoV-2 variants has compromised the efficacy
of the currently available vaccines. To protect against these
variants, the use of vaccines that modulate T cell-mediated
immune responses or innate immune cell memory function,
termed trained immunity, is needed. The major advantage of
a vaccine that uses bacteria or viral systems for the delivery of
COVID-19 antigens is the ability to induce both T cell-mediated
and humoral immune responses. In addition, such
vaccine systems can also exert off-target effects via the vector
itself, mediated partly through trained immunity; compared
to other vaccine platforms, suggesting that this approach can
provide better protection against even vaccine escape variants.
This review presents the current status of the development of
COVID-19 vaccines based on recombinant viral and bacterial
delivery systems. We also discuss the current status of the
use of licensed live vaccines for other infections, including
BCG, oral polio and MMR vaccines, to prevent COVID-19
infections.
Journal Articles
- Effects of rehydration on physiological and transcriptional responses of a water-stressed rhizobium
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Jie Zhu , Xin Jiang , Dawei Guan , Yaowei Kang , Li Li , Fengming Cao , Baisuo Zhao , Mingchao Ma , Ji Zhao , Jun Li
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J. Microbiol. 2022;60(1):31-46. Published online November 26, 2021
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-022-1325-7
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Abstract
- As a microsymbiont of soybean, Bradyrhizobium japonicum
plays an important role in symbiotic nitrogen fixation and
sustainable agriculture. However, the survival of B. japonicum
cells under water-deplete (e.g., drought) and water-replete
(e.g., flood) conditions is a major concern affecting their
nitrogen-fixing ability by establishing the symbiotic relationship
with the host. In this study, we isolated a water stress tolerant
rhizobium from soybean root nodules and tested its
survival under water-deplete conditions. The rhizobium was
identified as Bradyrhizobium japonicum and named strain
5038. Interestingly, both plate counting and live/dead fluorescence
staining assays indicate that a number of viable but
non-culturable cells exist in the culture medium upon the rehydration
process which could cause dilution stress. Bradyrhizobium
japonicum 5038 cells increased production of exopolysaccharide
(EPS) and trehalose when dehydrated, suggesting
that protective responses were stimulated. As expected,
cells reduced their production upon the subsequent rehydration.
To examine differential gene expression of B. japonicum
5038 when exposed to water-deplete and subsequent waterreplete
conditions, whole-genome transcriptional analysis was
performed under 10% relative humidity (RH), and subsequent
100% RH, respectively. A total of 462 differentially expressed
genes (DEGs, > 2.0-fold) were identified under the 10% RH
condition, while 3,776 genes showed differential expression
during the subsequent rehydration (100% RH) process. Genes
involved in signal transduction, inorganic ion transport, energy
production and metabolisms of carbohydrates, amino
acids, and lipids were far more up-regulated than downregulated
in the 10% RH condition. Notably, trehalose biosynthetic
genes (otsAB, treS, and treYZ), genes ligD, oprB, and
a sigma factor rpoH were significantly induced by 10% RH.
Under the subsequent 100% RH condition, genes involved in
transcription, translation, cell membrane regulation, replication
and repair, and protein processing were highly up-regulated.
Interestingly, most of 10%-RH inducible genes displayed
rehydration-repressed, except three genes encoding heat shock
(Hsp20) proteins. Therefore, this study provides molecular
evidence for the switch of gene expression of B. japonicum
cells when encountered the opposite water availability from
water-deplete to water-replete conditions.
- Structure of bacterial and eukaryote communities reflect in situ controls on community assembly in a high-alpine lake
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Eli Michael S. Gendron , John L. Darcy , Katherinia Hell , Steven K. Schmidt
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J. Microbiol. 2019;57(10):852-864. Published online August 3, 2019
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-019-8668-8
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Abstract
- Recent work suggests that microbial community composition
in high-elevation lakes is significantly influenced by microbes
entering from upstream terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
To test this idea, we conducted 18S and 16S rDNA surveys of
microbial communities in a high-alpine lake in the Colorado
Rocky Mountains. We compared the microbial community
of the lake to water entering the lake and to uphill soils that
drain into the lake. Utilizing hydrological and abiotic data,
we identified potential factors controlling microbial diversity
and community composition. Results show a diverse community
entering the lake at the inlet with a strong resemblance
to uphill terrestrial and aquatic communities. In contrast, the
lake communities (water column and outlet) showed significantly
lower diversity and were significantly different from
the inlet communities. Assumptions of neutral community
assembly poorly predicted community differences between
the inlet and lake, whereas “variable selection” and “dispersal
limitation” were predicted to dominate. Similarly, the lake
communities were correlated with discharge rate, indicating
that longer hydraulic residence times limit dispersal, allowing
selective pressures within the lake to structure communities.
Sulfate and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations
correlated with community composition, indicating
“bottom up” controls on lake community assembly. Furthermore,
bacterial community composition was correlated
with both zooplankton density and eukaryotic community
composition, indicating biotic controls such as “top-down”
interactions also contribute to community assembly in the
lake. Taken together, these community analyses suggest that
deterministic biotic and abiotic selection within the lake coupled
with dispersal limitation structures the microbial communities
in Green Lake 4.
- Co-occurrence patterns between phytoplankton and bacterioplankton across the pelagic zone of Lake Baikal during spring
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Ivan S. Mikhailov , Yuri S. Bukin , Yulia R. Zakharova , Marina V. Usoltseva , Yuri P. Galachyants , Maria V. Sakirko , Vadim V. Blinov , Yelena V. Likhoshway
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J. Microbiol. 2019;57(4):252-262. Published online March 30, 2019
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-019-8531-y
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Abstract
- Phytoplankton and bacterioplankton play a key role in carbon
cycling of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we found
that co-occurrence patterns between different types of phytoplankton,
bacterioplankton, and environmental parameters
in Lake Baikal during spring were different over the
course of three consecutive years. The composition of phytoplankton
and bacterial communities was investigated using
microscopy and 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing, respectively.
Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed
a relationship between the structure of phytoplankton and
bacterial communities and temperature, location, and sampling
year. Associations of bacteria with diatoms, green microalgae,
chrysophyte, and cryptophyte were identified using
microscopy. Cluster analysis revealed similar correlation
patterns between phytoplankton abundance, number of attached
bacteria, ratio of bacteria per phytoplankton cell and
environmental parameters. Positive and negative correlations
between different species of phytoplankton, heterotrophic
bacteria and environmental parameters may indicate mutualistic
or competitive relationships between microorganisms
and their preferences to the environment.
Review
- REVIEW] H5 influenza, a global update
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Rhodri Harfoot , Richard J. Webby
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J. Microbiol. 2017;55(3):196-203. Published online February 28, 2017
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-017-7062-7
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52
Citations
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Abstract
- H5 influenza viruses have caused much alarm globally due
to their high pathogenic potential. As yet we have not seen
sustained spread of the virus amongst humans despite a high
prevalence of the virus in avian populations. Nevertheless,
isolated human cases of infection have demonstrated high
mortality and there are substantial efforts being taken to
monitor the evolution of the virus and to undertake preparedness
activities. Here we review and discuss the evolution of
the A/goose/Guangdong/1/96 (H5N1) virus with emphasis
on recent events.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Structural insight for substrate tolerance to 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase from the pathogen Streptococcus suis
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Thinh-Phat Cao , Joong-Su Kim , Mi-Hee Woo , Jin Myung Choi , Youngsoo Jun , Kun Ho Lee , Sung Haeng Lee
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J. Microbiol. 2016;54(4):311-321. Published online April 1, 2016
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-016-6029-4
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Abstract
- 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase (DERA) is a class I aldolase
that catalyzes aldol condensation of two aldehydes in the
active site, which is particularly germane in drug manufacture.
Structural and biochemical studies have shown that the active
site of DERA is typically loosely packed and displays broader
substrate specificity despite sharing conserved folding architecture
with other aldolases. The most distinctive structural
feature of DERA compared to other aldolases is short
and flexible C-terminal region. This region is also responsible
for substrate recognition. Therefore, substrate tolerance may
be related to the C-terminal structural features of DERA. Here,
we determined the crystal structures of full length and C-terminal
truncated DERA from Streptococcus suis (SsDERA).
In common, both contained the typical (α/β)8 TIM-barrel
fold of class I aldolases. Surprisingly, C-terminal truncation
result
ing in missing the last α9 and β8 secondary elements,
allowed DERA to maintain activity comparable to the fulllength
enzyme. Specifically, Arg186 and Ser205 residues at the
C-terminus appeared mutually supplemental or less indispensible
for substrate phosphate moiety recognition. Our results
suggest that DERA might adopt a shorter C-terminal region
than conventional aldolases during evolution pathway, resulting
in a broader range of substrate tolerance through active
site flexibility.
Review
- Replicating poxviruses for human cancer therapy
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Manbok Kim
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J. Microbiol. 2015;53(4):209-218. Published online April 8, 2015
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-015-5041-4
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26
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Abstract
- Naturally occurring oncolytic viruses are live, replicationproficient
viruses that specifically infect human cancer cells
while sparing normal cell counterparts. Since the eradication
of smallpox in the 1970s with the aid of vaccinia viruses,
the vaccinia viruses and other genera of poxviruses have
shown various degrees of safety and efficacy in pre-clinical
or clinical application for human anti-cancer therapeutics.
Furthermore, we have recently discovered that cellular tumor
suppressor genes are important in determining poxviral
oncolytic tropism. Since carcinogenesis is a multi-step
process involving accumulation of both oncogene and tumor
suppressor gene abnormalities, it is interesting that poxvirus
can exploit abnormal cellular tumor suppressor signaling
for its oncolytic specificity and efficacy. Many tumor suppressor
genes such as p53, ATM, and RB are known to play
important roles in genomic fidelity/maintenance. Thus, tumor
suppressor gene abnormality could affect host genomic
integrity and likely disrupt intact antiviral networks due to
accumulation of genetic defects, which would in turn result
in oncolytic virus susceptibility. This review outlines the characteristics
of oncolytic poxvirus strains, including vaccinia,
myxoma, and squirrelpox virus, recent progress in elucidating
the molecular connection between oncogene/tumor
suppressor gene abnormalities and poxviral oncolytic tropism,
and the associated preclinical/clinical implications. I would
also like to propose future directions in the utility of poxviruses
for oncolytic virotherapy.
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov'ts
- Variations of SSU rDNA Group I Introns in Different Isolates of Cordyceps militaris and the Loss of an Intron during Cross-Mating
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Tiantian Lian , Tao Yang , Junde Sun , Suping Guo , Huaijun Yang , Caihong Dong
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J. Microbiol. 2014;52(8):659-666. Published online July 4, 2014
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-014-3681-4
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Abstract
- Cordyceps militaris, the type species of genus Cordyceps, is one of the most popular mushrooms and a nutraceutical in eastern Asia. It is considered a model organism for the study of Cordyceps species because it can complete its life cycle when cultured in vitro. In the present study, the occurrence and sequence variation of SSU rDNA group I introns, Cmi.S943 and Cmi.S1199, among different isolates of C. militaris were analyzed. Based on the secondary structure predictions, the Cmi.S943 intron has been placed in subgroup IC1, and the Cmi.S1199 intron has been placed in subgroup IE. No significant similarity between Cmi.S943 and Cmi.S1199 suggested different origins. Three genotypes, based on the frequency and distribution of introns, were described to discriminate the 57 surveyed C. militaris strains. It was found that the genotype was related to the stroma characteristics. The stromata of all of the genotype II strains, which possessed only Cmi.S943, could produce perithecium. In contrast, the stromata of all genotype III strains, which had both Cmi.S943 and Cmi.S1199, could not produce perithecium. Cmi.S1199 showed the lowest level of intra-specific variation among the tested strains. Group I introns can be lost during strain cross-mating. Therefore, we presumed that during cross-mating and recombination, intron loss could be driven by positive Darwinian selection due to the energetic cost of transcribing long introns.
- NOTE] Is The Biotransformation of Chlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins by Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 Governed by Thermodynamic Factors?
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In-Hyun Nam , Hyo-Bong Hong , Stefan Schmidt
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J. Microbiol. 2014;52(9):801-804. Published online February 17, 2014
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-014-3424-6
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Abstract
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to explore the relationship between the biotransformation of dibenzo-p-dioxin and selected chlorinated derivatives by resting cells of Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 and measuring the thermodynamic properties of the biotransformation substrates. Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 can aerobically catabolize dibenzo-p-dioxin as well as 2,7-dichloro-, 1,2,3-trichloro-, 1,2,3,4-tetrachloro-, and 1,2,3,4,7,8-hexachlorodibenzo-pdioxin; however, neither the 2,3,7-trichloro- nor the 1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin was transformed to its corresponding metabolic intermediate. The experimental biotransformation rates established were apparently governed by the selected thermodynamic properties of the substrates tested.
- Bacterial Diversity and Composition of an Alkaline Uranium Mine Tailings-Water Interface
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Nurul H. Khan , Viorica F. Bondici , Prabhakara G. Medihala , John R. Lawrence , Gideon M. Wolfaardt , Jeff Warner , Darren R. Korber
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J. Microbiol. 2013;51(5):558-569. Published online September 14, 2013
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-013-3075-z
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Abstract
- The microbial diversity and biogeochemical potential associated with a northern Saskatchewan uranium mine watertailings interface was examined using culture-dependent and -independent techniques. Morphologically-distinct colonies from uranium mine water-tailings and a reference lake (MC) obtained using selective and non-selective media were selected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and identification, revealing that culturable organisms from the uranium tailings interface were dominated by Firmicutes and Betaproteobacteria; whereas, MC organisms mainly consisted of Bacteroidetes and Gammaproteobacteria. Ion Torrent (IT) 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis carried out on extracted DNA from tailings and MC interfaces demonstrated the dominance of Firmicutes in both of the systems. Overall, the tailings-water interface environment harbored a distinct bacterial community relative to the MC, reflective of the ambient conditions (i.e., total dissolved solids, pH, salinity, conductivity, heavy metals) dominating the uranium tailings system. Significant correlations among the physicochemical data and the major bacterial groups present in the tailings and MC were also observed. Presence of sulfate reducing bacteria demonstrated by culture-dependent analyses and the dominance of Desulfosporosinus spp. indicated by Ion Torrent analyses within the tailings-water interface suggests the existence of anaerobic microenvironments along with the potential for reductive metabolic processes.
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
- NOTE] Fosmid Cloning, Nucleotide Sequence, and Characterization of a Beta-Lactamase Gene from Subsurface Isolates
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Nurcan Vardar , Gönül Vardar-Schara
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J. Microbiol. 2012;50(4):680-683. Published online July 21, 2012
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-012-2139-9
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Abstract
- A beta-lactamase gene was isolated for the first time from a terrestrial subsurface environment using a combined cultivation and direct cloning strategy. The gene, discovered from 24 m below land surface in Hawaii, was most similar to the penicillinase from Bacillus licheniformis. The resistance gene was confirmed via subcloning and its minimum inhibitory concentration values were measured against several test betalactam antibiotics. This study extends the knowledge on resistance to antimicrobials, which may help the efforts to minimize their future threat.