Conversion of the BASE prion strain into the BSE strain: the origin of BSE?

Atypical neuropathological and molecular phenotypes of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have recently been identified in different countries. One of these phenotypes, named bovine "amyloidotic" spongiform encephalopathy (BASE), differs from classical BSE for the occurrence of a distinct type of the disease-associated prion protein (PrP), termed PrP(Sc), and the presence of PrP amyloid plaques. Here, we show that the agents responsible for BSE and BASE possess different biological properties upon transmission to transgenic mice expressing bovine PrP and inbred lines of nontransgenic mice. Strikingly, serial passages of the BASE strain to nontransgenic mice induced a neuropathological and molecular disease phenotype indistinguishable from that of BSE-infected mice. The existence of more than one agent associated with prion disease in cattle and the ability of the BASE strain to convert into the BSE strain may have important implications with respect to the origin of BSE and spongiform encephalopathies in other species, including humans.     

Production of β-carotene by aRhodotorula strain

Summary The production of -carotene by the biomass ofRhodotorula strain var.glutinis, during the stationary phase of growth and in non-proliferating conditions was assayed. When the cells were transferred to distilled water, the fraction of -carotene produced increased from 130 to 630 g per gram of dried cells.     

EIIaCre – Utility of a general deleter strain

Transgenic Research -     

Characterization of β-glucosidase from a strain of Penicillium purpurogenum KJS506

A novel β-glucosidase (BGL)-producing strain was isolated and identified as Penicillium purpurogenum KJS506 based on its morphology and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA gene sequence. When rice straw and corn steep powder were used as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, the maximal BGL activity of 12.3 U ml⁻¹, one of the highest levels among BGL-producing microorganisms was observed. The optimum temperature and pH for BGL production were 32 °C and 4, respectively. An extracellular BGL was purified to homogeneity by sequential chromatography of P. purpurogenum culture supernatants, and the purified BGL showed higher activity (V _max = 934 U mg protein^–1) than most BGLs from other sources. The complete ORF of bgl3 was cloned from P. purpurogenum by a modified thermal asymmetric interlaced polymerase chain reaction. The bgl3 gene consists of a 2,571-bp ORF and encodes a putative protein containing 856 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 89,624 Da. The putative gene product was identified as a member of glycoside hydrolase family 3. The present results should contribute to improved industrial production of BGL by P. purpurogenum KJS506.     

Purification and characterization of β-galactosidase from a strain of Bacillus coagulans

-Galactosidase from B. coagulans strain L4 is produced constitutively, has a mol. wt. of 4.3×10⁵ and an optimal temperature of 55°C. The optimal pH at 30°C is 6.0 whereas at 55°C it is 6.5. The energy of activation of enzyme activity is 41.9 kJ/mol (10 kcal/mol). No cations are required. The K_m with ONPG as substrate is 4.2–5.6mm and with lactose is 50mm. The K_i for inhibition by galactose is 11.7–13.4mm and for dextrose is 50mm. Galactose inhibited competitively while dextrose inhibited noncompetitively. The purified and unprotected enzyme is 70% destroyed in 30 min at 55°C whereas in the presence of 2 mg/ml of BSA 42% of the activity is destroyed in 30 min at 55°C. An overall purification of 75.3-fold was achieved.     

Influence of sugars on endoglucanase and β-xylanase activities of aBacillus strain

Summary ABacillus sp. screened from termite infested soils produced significant amount of endoglucanase and xylanase enzymes when grown on a lignocellulosic substrate, rice husk. Biosynthesis of these enzymes was significantly enhanced by the addition of 0.2% cellobiose or glucose for endoglucanase and xylose for -xylanase activities. In the actual hydrolyses, glucose and cellobiose at low concentrations acted as activitors of endoglucanase activity whereas cellobiose and xylose acted as inhibitors of -xylanase activity.     

The β-fructofuranosidase activities of a strain of Clostridium acetobutylicum grown on inulin

Summary The -fructofuranosidase activities of a strain of Clostridium acetobutylicum, selected for its capacity to grow on inulinic substrates, were investigated. When grown on inulin, this strain produced extracellular and intracellular -fructofuranosidases, both of which hydrolysed inulin (inulinase activity) and sucrose (invertase activity). Inulinase activity was higher than invertase activity in the extracellular preparation, the opposite being observed for the cellular preparation. The effects of pH and temperature, substrate specificity and the kinetic constants for inulin and sucrose were studied on both preparations, as well as induction by inulin and repression by glucose and fructose of inulinase and invertase activities. The overall results were consistent with the existence of a least one inulinase, (EC 3.2.1.7), mainly but not entirely released in the extracellular medium, and an invertase (3.2.1.26) localized within the cell.Time course hydrolysis experiments of dalhia inulin and Jerusalem artichoke inulofructans by extracellular inulinase showed that this preparation had a remarkably high specificity for hydrolysis of long chain inulofructans.     

Genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. strain Tü6071

Streptomyces sp. Tü6071 is a soil-dwelling bacterium which has a highly active isoprenoid biosynthesis. Isoprenoids are important precursors for biopharmaceutical molecules such as antibiotics or anticancer agents, e.g., landomycin. Streptomyces sp. Tü6071 produces the industrially important terpene glycosides phenalinolactones, which have antibacterial activity against several Gram-positive bacteria. The availability of the genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. Tü6071 allows for understanding the biosynthesis of these pharmaceutical molecules and will facilitate rational genome modification to improve industrial use.     

Characterization of a novel β-glucosidase from a Stachybotrys strain

An improved mutant was isolated from the cellulolytic fungus Stachybotrys sp. after nitrous acid mutagenesis. It was fed-batch cultivated on cellulose and its extracellular cellulases (mainly the endoglucanases and β-glucosidases) were analyzed. One β-glucosidase was purified to homogeneity after two steps, MonoQ and gel filtration and shown to be a dimeric protein. The molecular weight of each monomer is 85 kDa. Besides its aryl β-glucosidase activity towards salicin, methyl-umbellypheryl-β-d-glucoside (MUG) and p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucoside (pNPG), it showed a true β-glucosidase activity since it splits cellobiose into two glucose monomers. The V_max and the K_m kinetics parameters with pNPG as substrate were 78 U/mg and 0.27 mM, respectively. The enzyme shows more affinity to pNPG than cellobiose and salicin whose apparent values of K_m were, respectively, 2.22 and 37.14 mM. This enzyme exhibits its optimal activity at pH 5 and at 50 °C. Interestingly, this activity is not affected by denaturing gel conditions (SDS and β-mercaptoethanol) as long as it is not pre-heated. The N-terminal sequence of the purified enzyme showed a significant homology with the family 1 β-glucosidases of Trichoderma reesei and Humicola isolens even though these two enzymes are much smaller in size.     

16α-hydroxylation of progesterone by a strain ofactinomyces globosus

В систематическое исследование трансформации свойств Actinomycetes было было установлено, что 17 из 76 видов тестировани е преобразованы прогестерон по 16 га-гидрокси -п рогестерона. Оптимальные условия для этой трансформац ии были изучены этой трансформации б ыли изучены следующие результат ы:

1. (1)
   Оптимальное рН для данного типа трансформации была 6–7. На нижней hydroxylation ценностей была меш ает.     
   
   

Production and characterization of β-1,4-glucosidase from a strain of Penicillium pinophilum

A high β-glucosidase (BGL)-producing strain was isolated and identified as Penicillium pinophilum KMJ601 based on its morphology and internal transcribed spacer rDNA gene sequence. Under the optimal culture conditions, a maximum BGL specific activity of 3.2 U ml⁻¹ (83 U mg-protein⁻¹), one of the highest levels among BGL-producing microorganisms was obtained. An extracellular BGL was purified to homogeneity by sequential chromatography of P. pinophilum culture supernatants on a DEAE-Sepharose column, a gel filtration column, and then on a Mono Q column. The relative molecular weight of P. pinophilum BGL was determined to be 120 kDa by SDS-PAGE and size exclusion chromatography, indicating that the enzyme is a monomer. The hydrolytic activity of the BGL had a pH optimum of 3.5 and a temperature optimum of 32 °C. P. pinophilum BGL showed a higher activity (V_max = 1120 U mg-protein⁻¹) than most BGLs purified from other sources. The internal amino acid sequences of P. pinophilum BGL showed a significant homology with hydrolases from glycoside hydrolase family 3. Although BGLs have been purified and characterized from several other sources, P. pinophilum BGL is distinguished from other BGLs by its high activity.     

Production of 4′-epidaunorubicin by metabolic engineering of Streptomyces coeruleorubidus strain SIPI-1482

Streptomyces coeruleorubidus strain SIPI-1482 is an important industrial microbial strain which produces daunorubicin, the precursor for semi-synthesis of first-line anti-tumor antibiotics doxorubicin and epirubicin. dnmV, the C4 ketoreductase gene in the biosynthetic pathway of TDP-l-daunosamine was successfully disrupted by homologue recombination. The SIPI-1482 dnmV-blocked mutant lost the ability to produce daunorubicin and aggregate the intermediate ε-rhodomycinone. By introducing dnmV, the daunorubicin biosynthetic pathway in S. coeruleorubidus was reconstituted. Further more, aveBIV from S. avermitilis, as well as oleU from S. antibiotics, and novS from S. niveus were introduced into the dnmV-blocked mutant. The SIPI-1482 dnmV::aveBIV mutant could produce 4′-epidaunorubicin instead of daunorubicin, but dnmV::oleU and dnmV::novS mutant could not. Our study showed that the genetically engineered strain had a different fermentation condition and extraction protocol compared with the wild type daunorubicin producer. These results suggest that metabolic engineering is a powerful tool to produce novel hybrid antibiotics and a good alternative to chemical synthesis.     

β-carotene from the abscisic acid producing strain of Cercospora rosicola

-carotene was isolated from an extract of Cercospora rosicola mycelia and identified on the basis of chromatographic properties and UV-visible spectroscopic evidence. The accumulation of -carotene was inhibited 71 and 52% by 10 M amounts of decylimidazole and fluridone, resepectively. Abscisic acid accumulation was inhibited 63% by decylimidazole and enhanced about 10% by fluridone. Several other inhibitors of carotenoid synthesis failed to inhibit ABA biosynthesis.     

Antistress and angioprotective influence of nitric oxide in epilepsy-prone rats of Krushinskiĭ-Molodkina strain

In rats of Krushinsky-Molodkina strain (KMR), the audiogenic stress induced epileptiform seizure and development of acute disturbances of cerebral circulation of hemorrhagic nature. The inhibitor of NO-synthase (L-NNA) increased the severity of clinical symptoms, mortality, and the intensity of intracranial hemorrhages. In contrast, L-arginine elevated the resistance of KMRs to acoustic stress. The intensity of nitrergic innervation was analyzed in preparations of the middle cerebral artery with the use of histochemical NADPH-diaphorase staining. In preparations of control KMRs, a net of NADPH-positive perivascular nerve fibers was found, while in experimental KMRs, in an hour after sound stimulation, such fibers practically were not revealed. Preliminary exposure of KMRs in hypoxic conditions (1 hour in hypobaric chamber at simulated altitude of 5000 m above the sea level) decreased the development of stress lesions. The protective effect of hypoxic training disappeared after the administration of NO-synthase inhibitor (L-NNA). The study demonstrated participation of nitric oxide (NO) in adaptive reactions of cerebral hemodynamics linked with the significant increase of cerebral blood flow.     

Complete genome sequence of the Clostridium difficile laboratory strain 630Δerm reveals differences from strain 630, including translocation of the mobile element CTn5

Background

Clostridium difficile strain 630Δerm is a spontaneous erythromycin sensitive derivative of the reference strain 630 obtained by serial passaging in antibiotic-free media. It is widely used as a defined and tractable C. difficile strain. Though largely similar to the ancestral strain, it demonstrates phenotypic differences that might be the result of underlying genetic changes. Here, we performed a de novo assembly based on single-molecule real-time sequencing and an analysis of major methylation patterns.

Results

In addition to single nucleotide polymorphisms and various indels, we found that the mobile element CTn5 is present in the gene encoding the methyltransferase rumA rather than adhesin CD1844 where it is located in the reference strain.

Conclusions

Together, the genetic features identified in this study may help to explain at least part of the phenotypic differences. The annotated genome sequence of this lab strain, including the first analysis of major methylation patterns, will be a valuable resource for genetic research on C. difficile.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1252-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Construction of a flocculent Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain secreting high levels of Aspergillus niger β-galactosidase

A flocculent Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain secreting Aspergillus niger beta-galactosidase activity was constructed by transforming S. cerevisiae NCYC869-A3 strain with plasmid pVK1.1 harboring the A. niger beta-galactosidase gene, lacA, under the control of the ADH1 promoter and terminator. Compared to other recombinant S. cerevisiae strains, this recombinant yeast has higher levels of extracellular beta-galactosidase activity. In shake-flask cultures, the beta-galactosidase activity detected in the supernatant was 20 times higher than that obtained with previously constructed strains (Domingues et al. 2000a). In bioreactor culture, with cheese-whey permeate as substrate, a yield of 878.0 nkat/gsubstrate was obtained. The recombinant strain is an attractive alternative to other fungal beta-galactosidase production systems as the enzyme is produced in a rather pure form. Moreover, the use of flocculating yeast cells allows for enzyme production with high productivity in continuous fermentation systems with facilitated downstream processing.