PCR-mediated screening and labeling of DNA from clones

A simplified and economical protocol for DNA library screening and nonradioactive labeling is described. Bacterial clones are lysed in 1% of Triton X-100 and subjected to polymerase chain reaction in the presence of digoxigenin-11-dUTP to screen and simultaneously to label the DNA inserts. Bacteriallysates are stable in storage at −20°C and can be used repeatedly for PCR-mediated labeling. In this protocol, very low concentrations of dNTP, digoxigenin-dUTP, and primers are used in combination with a reduced reaction volume. This will considerably reduce the expense of screening and labeling bacterial clones and facilitate the exchange of DNA probes among laboratories.     

Anti-CRISPR Discovery: Using Magnets to Find Needles in Haystacks

CRISPR-Cas immune systems in bacteria and archaea protect against viral infection, which has spurred viruses to develop dedicated inhibitors of these systems called anti-CRISPRs (Acrs). Like most host-virus arms races, many diverse examples of these immune and counter-immune proteins are encoded by the genomes of bacteria, archaea, and their viruses. For the case of Acrs, it is almost certain that just a small minority of nature’s true diversity has been described. In this review, I discuss the various approaches used to identify these Acrs and speculate on the future for Acr discovery. Because Acrs can determine infection outcomes in nature and regulate CRISPR-Cas activities in applied settings, they have a dual importance to both host-virus conflicts and emerging biotechnologies. Thus, revealing the largely hidden world of Acrs should provide important lessons in microbiology that have the potential to ripple far beyond the field.     

Coevolution-Guided Mapping of the Type VI Secretion Membrane Complex-Baseplate Interface

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a multiprotein weapon evolved by Gram-negative bacteria to deliver effectors into eukaryotic cells or bacterial rivals. The T6SS uses a contractile mechanism to propel an effector-loaded needle into its target. The contractile tail is built on an assembly platform, the baseplate, which is anchored to a membrane complex. Baseplate-membrane complex interactions are mainly mediated by contacts between the C-terminal domain of the TssK baseplate component and the cytoplasmic domain of the TssL inner membrane protein. Currently, the structural details of this interaction are unknown due to the marginal stability of the TssK-TssL complex. Here we conducted a mutagenesis study based on putative TssK-TssL contact pairs identified by co-evolution analyses. We then evaluated the impact of these mutations on T6SS activity, TssK-TssL interaction and sheath assembly and dynamics in enteroaggregative Escherichia coli. Finally, we probed the TssK-TssL interface by disulfide cross-linking, allowing to propose a model for the baseplate-membrane complex interface.     

Growth and analysis of crystal forms of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1

Native toxic shock syndrom toxin 1 (TSST-1) purified from Staphylococcus aurius has been crystallized in four different forms. The highest resolution data (2.05 Å) was collected from orthorhombic crystals belonging to the space group C222₁. The unit cell dimension are a = 108.7 Å, b = 177.5 Å, c = 97.6 Å. Rotation function analysis of this from indicates that there is trimer of toxin molecules in the asymmetric unit with a local 3-fold axis parallel to the crystallographic c axis. Crystals of a double mutant of TSST-1 have been grown which has a single molecule in the asymmetric unit and diffract to 1.9 Å. The space group is P2₁ with unit cell parameters of a = 44.4 Å, b = 34.0 Å, c = 55.2 Å, β = 93.0°. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Synergistic interaction between two bacterial isolates in the degradation of carbofuran

The dominant bacteriaPseudomonas sp. andArthrobacter sp. were isolated from the standing water of carbofuran-retreatedAzolla plot.Arthrobacter sp. hydrolysed carbofuran added to the mineral salts medium as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen while no degradation occurred withPseudomonas sp. Interestingly, when the medium containing carbofuran was inoculated with bothArthrobacter sp. andPseudomonas sp., a synergistic increase in its hydrolysis and subsequent release of CO₂ from the side chain was noticed. This synergistic interaction was better expressed at 25° C than at 35° C. Likewise, related carbamates, carbaryl, bendiocarb and carbosulfan were more rapidly degraded in the combined presence of both bacterial isolates.     

非编码小RNA对细菌毒力及耐药性的调控作用研究进展

近年来的研究发现,细菌非编码小RNA (small non-coding RNA, sRNA)对其不同生理进程起到了重要的调控作用。随着大量sRNA被发现并鉴定,细菌sRNA的功能被逐步阐明,其可在转录后水平广泛调控细菌的生理代谢、毒力及耐药性等。本文综述了sRNA对细菌毒力和耐药性调控作用的研究进展,对揭示细菌转录后水平毒力及耐药性调控机制具有一定意义。     

库木塔格沙漠土壤细菌多样性及具有群体感应抑制活性放线菌筛选

【背景】群体感应抑制剂(quorum sensing inhibitor,QSI)作为抗生素潜在替代品,可有效降低致病菌传染性和毒性。沙漠土壤蕴藏着丰富的放线菌资源,是挖掘群体感应抑制剂的重要来源。【目的】解析库木塔格沙漠土壤细菌群落多样性,筛选并挖掘群体感应抑制活性放线菌资源。【方法】采用Illumina Nova Seq高通量测序技术揭示库木塔格沙漠土壤细菌群落组成,利用可培养方法进行土壤放线菌分离和鉴定;选用紫色杆菌CV026模型筛选群体感应抑制活性放线菌,并对其功能特性进行初步评价。【结果】Illumina Nova Seq高通量测序结果显示,样品土壤细菌涉及23门96目150属,优势菌门为变形菌门(Proteobacteria,61%)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria,28%),其中分枝杆菌属(Mycobacterium)为放线菌门最优势菌属(87.3%),其次为红球菌属(Rhodococcus,6.8%)和丙酸杆菌属(Cutibacterium,0.9%)。可培养方法共分离到108株放线菌,归属9科10属,其中优势菌属为链霉菌属(Streptomyces),占65....     

亮斑扁角水虻幼虫酶解制备蛋白胨工艺优化及蛋白胨性质

【背景】用于餐厨垃圾等有机废弃物处理的亮斑扁角水虻(Hermetia illucens, HI)含有丰富的氨基酸和营养物质,是一种优质、经济的蛋白来源。【目的】利用亮斑扁角水虻幼虫(Hermetia illucens larvae, HIL)制备蛋白胨用于细菌培养,为亮斑扁角水虻的应用方式提供新的思路。【方法】以亮斑扁角水虻幼虫为原料,利用单因素试验确定最佳酶解条件,对比分析HIL蛋白胨和市售胰蛋白胨的基本性质和功能性状,并进行细菌培养、生物化学试验,利用两种蛋白胨分别培养大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli) ATCC 25922模式细菌并通过生长动力学分析评价应用效果。【结果】制备HIL蛋白胨的最佳酶解工艺为按1.3%(质量分数)添加复合酶(胰酶:碱性蛋白酶质量比为1:1),在pH 7.0、54℃条件下反应4 h,此时HIL的水解度为(19.34±0.15)%。HIL蛋白胨和市售胰蛋白胨的功能性状和生物化学试验差异不显著(P>0.05)。大肠杆菌ATCC25922在HIL蛋白胨培养基中生长的X_max和λ分别为6.44和2.45,在市售胰蛋白胨生长的...     

多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后的危险因素分析

摘要 目的：探讨多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后的危险因素。方法：选取本院2019年5月至2022年5月收治的198例重症肺炎患者,根据患者在ICU住院期间是否死亡分为存活组（121例）和死亡组（77例）。对重症肺炎患者多药耐药菌感染情况,多药耐药G⁺耐药情况,多药耐药G^-耐药情况进行分析,对影响多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后危险因素的单因素分析,将单因素分析中差异有统计学意义的变量进行多因素Logistic回归分析,筛选影响多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后的危险因素。结果：198例重症肺炎患者中,多药耐药菌感染患者60例,占比30.30 %,共分离出病原菌290株,其中多药耐药菌65株,占比22.41 %,其中占比比较高的有鲍曼不动杆菌（23.08 %）、铜绿假单胞菌（20.00 %）、金黄色葡萄球菌（20.00 %）、肠炎克雷伯菌（10.77 %）;重症肺炎患者多药耐药G⁺对青霉素、克林霉素、红霉素等具有较高的耐药性,而对万古霉素、替考拉宁、替加环素较为敏感;重症肺炎患者多重耐药G^-对多种抗菌药物均表现出耐药性,其中对头孢他啶、头孢吡肟等具有较高的耐药性;单因素分析结果显示,死亡组患者中男性、年龄≥70岁、APACHEⅡ评分≥26分、有创通气的患者占比显著高于存活组,碳青霉烯类抗生素使用的患者占比显著低于存活组（均P<0.05）,两组患者肺部基础疾病、脑血管疾病、高血压、联合使用其他抗生素的占比,以及两组患者机械通气时间比较无差异（均P>0.05）;纳入多因素非条件Logistic回归模型分析显示,男性、年龄≥70岁、APACHEⅡ评分≥26分、有创通气为多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后的危险因素（OR=1.568、1.203、2.812、1.674,均P<0.05）,而碳青霉烯类抗生素使用是多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后的保护因素（OR=0.542,P<0.05）。结论：多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者的主要菌株为鲍曼不动杆菌,且男性、年龄≥70岁、APACHEⅡ评分≥26分、有创通气为多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后的危险因素,而碳青霉烯类抗生素使用是多药耐药菌感染重症肺炎患者预后的保护因素。     

Effects of Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) on the spread of the bacterium Pseudomonas tolaasii in mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)

The effects of mass-produced saprobic rhabditid nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans on the spread of the bacterial blotch pathogen, Pseudomonas tolaasii , were studied in mushroom growth chambers. C. elegans significantly reduced the intensity of blotch on sporophores. Repeated isolations of the bacterial flora from the gut of C. elegans recovered from mushroom sporophores during cropping, revealed the presence of Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar reactans . All the isolates of P. fluorescens biovar reactans isolated from nematodes were antagonists of P. tolaasii .
C. elegans produced much larger populations in monoxenic cultures with P. fluorescens biovar reactans than with P. tolaasii . It is suggested that as C. elegans selects P. fluorescens biovar reactans rather than P. tolaasii as a food substrate it probably spreads the antagonist in the mushroom crop and may contribute to the control of bacterial blotch.