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.     

Solving the problem of how to eat something as big as yourself: Diverse bacterial strategies for degrading polysaccharides

Polysaccharide digestion by bacteria is an important activity in many ecosystems, and a number of bacterial genera can perform this function. Although many papers have been published about the properties of isolated polysaccharide-degrading enzymes, relatively little is known about how intact bacteria degrade polysaccharides. This review summarizes recent findings suggesting that there are at least three different strategies. the most familiar one is the excretion of extracellular polysaccharidases, which diffuse to and degrade nearby polysaccharides. An example of this type of strategy is provided by the plant pathogen,Erwinia spp. A second strategy is to have the enzyme exposed to the extracellular medium but attached to the surface of the cell. Examples of this strategy are provided by the pullulanase system ofKlebsiella oxytoca and the cellulosomes ofClostridium thermocellum. A strategy that could be seen as a combination of the extracellular enzyme strategy and the surface organelle strategy is provided byVibrio harveyi, which attaches to its substrate, chitin, via proteins that appear to be specialized for attachment and produces extracellular enzymes that attack the chitin. A third strategy is to import the polysaccharide, as appears to be done byBacteroides spp. In this instance, the polysaccharide is bound to an outer membrane receptor, then passes into the periplasm where the degradative enzymes are located. The ecological advantages and disadvantages of these systems are discussed, and areas where further research is needed are defined.     

Construction and characterization of two rice bacterial artificial chromosome libraries from the parents of a permanent recombinant inbred mapping population

Rice is a leading grain crop and the staple food for over half of the world population. Rice is also an ideal species for genetic and biological studies of cereal crops and other monocotyledonous plants because of its small genome and well developed genetic system. To facilitate rice genome analysis leading to physical mapping, the identification of molecular markers closely linked to economic traits, and map-based cloning, we have constructed two rice bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries from the parents of a permanent mapping population (Lemont and Teqing) consisting of 400 F9 recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Lemont (japonica) and Teqing (indica) represent the two major genomes of cultivated rice, both are leading commercial varieties and widely used germplasm in rice breeding programs. The Lemont library contains 7296 clones with an average insert size of 150 kb, which represents 2.6 rice haploid genome equivalents. The Teqing library contains 14208 clones with an average insert size of 130 kb, which represents 4.4. rice haploid genome equivalents. Three single-copy DNA probes were used to screen the libraries and at least two overlapping BAC clones were isolated with each probe from each library, ranging from 45 to 260 kb in insert size. Hybridization of BAC clones with chloroplast DNA probes and fluorescent in situ hybridization using BAC DNA as probes demonstrated that both libraries contain very few clones of chloroplast DNA origin and are likely free of chimeric clones. These data indicate that both BAC libraries should be suitable for map-based cloning of rice genes and physical mapping of the rice genome.     

Cloning,expression, and crystallization of the V delta domain of a human gamma delta T-cell receptor.

T-lymphocytes recognize a wide variety of antigens through highly diverse cell-surface glycoproteins known as T-cell receptors (TCRs). These disulfide-linked heterodimers are composed of alpha and beta or gamma and delta polypeptide chains consisting of variable (V) and constant (C) domains non-covalently associated with at least four invariant chains to form the TCR-CD3 complex. It is well established that alpha beta TCRs recognize antigen in the form of peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); furthermore, information on the three-dimensional structure of alpha beta TCRs has recently become available through X-ray crystallography. In contrast, the antigen specificity of gamma delta TCRs is much less well understood and their three-dimensional structure is unknown. We have cloned the delta chain of a human TCR specific for the MHC class I HLA-A2 molecule and expressed the V domain as a secreted protein in the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli. Following affinity purification using a nickel chelate adsorbent, the recombinant V delta domain was crystallized in a form suitable for X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group P2(1)2(1)2 with unit cell dimensions a = 69.9, b = 49.0, c = 61.6 A. and diffract to beyond 2.3 A resolution. The ability of a V delta domain produced in bacteria to form well-ordered crystals strongly suggests that the periplasmic space can provide a suitable environment for the correct in vivo folding of gamma delta TCRs.