The red death meets the abdominal bristle: Polygenic mutation for susceptibility to a bacterial pathogen in Caenorhabditis elegans

Understanding the genetic basis of susceptibility to pathogens is an important goal of medicine and of evolutionary biology. A key first step toward understanding the genetics and evolution of any phenotypic trait is characterizing the role of mutation. However, the rate at which mutation introduces genetic variance for pathogen susceptibility in any organism is essentially unknown. Here, we quantify the per‐generation input of genetic variance by mutation (VM) for susceptibility of Caenorhabditis elegans to the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (defined as the median time of death, LT50). VM for LT50 is slightly less than VM for a variety of life‐history and morphological traits in this strain of C. elegans, but is well within the range of reported values in a variety of organisms. Mean LT50 did not change significantly over 250 generations of mutation accumulation. Comparison of VM to the standing genetic variance (VG) implies a strength of selection against new mutations of a few tenths of a percent. These results suggest that the substantial standing genetic variation for susceptibility of C. elegans to P. aeruginosa can be explained by polygenic mutation coupled with purifying selection.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa ExoT Induces Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Target Host Cells in a Manner That Depends on Its GTPase-activating Protein (GAP) Domain Activity

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia and a killer of immunocompromised patients. We and others have demonstrated that the type III secretion system (T3SS) effector protein ExoT plays a pivotal role in facilitating P. aeruginosa pathogenesis. ExoT possesses an N-terminal GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain and a C-terminal ADP-ribosyltransferase (ADPRT) domain. Because it targets multiple non-overlapping cellular targets, ExoT performs several distinct virulence functions for P. aeruginosa, including induction of apoptosis in a variety of target host cells. Both the ADPRT and the GAP domain activities contribute to ExoT-induced apoptosis. The ADPRT domain of ExoT induces atypical anoikis by transforming an innocuous cellular protein, Crk, into a cytotoxin, which interferes with integrin survival signaling. However, the mechanism underlying the GAP-induced apoptosis remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the GAP domain activity is both necessary and sufficient to induce mitochondrial (intrinsic) apoptosis. We show that intoxication with GAP domain results in: (i) JNK1/2 activation; (ii) substantial increases in the mitochondrial levels of activated pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bid, and to a lesser extent Bim; (iii) loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release; and (iv) activation of initiator caspase-9 and executioner caspase-3. Further, GAP-induced apoptosis is partially mediated by JNK1/2, but it is completely dependent on caspase-9 activity. Together, the ADPRT and the GAP domains make ExoT into a highly versatile and potent cytotoxin, capable of inducing multiple forms of apoptosis in target host cells.     

铜绿假单胞菌生防菌株抑菌代谢产物及其生防应用研究进展

微生物次生代谢产物的研究对开发微生物源农药具有重要意义。近年来一系列根际来源的铜绿假单胞菌被分离和鉴定,因其产生抑菌次生代谢产物,具有很好的生物防治效果。本文将系统综述铜绿假单胞菌生防菌株的种类及其抑菌代谢产物的多样性,并进一步介绍铜绿假单胞菌生防菌株的抑菌代谢产物合成机制及其遗传改造,简要讨论铜绿假单胞菌生防菌株抑菌代谢产物在生物防治上的应用和前景。     

冷风干燥制备高活菌的恶臭假单胞菌菌粉

【目的】获得高活菌恶臭假单胞菌菌粉,提高菌体干燥及保藏存活率。【方法】选用冷风干燥法制备活菌粉,并优化吸附载体与保护剂。【结果】冷风干燥制备恶臭假单胞菌菌粉干燥存活率普遍达到65%以上,显著优于喷雾干燥(24%);对载体与保护剂进行正交试验优化,确定了载体为混合的硅藻土和碱处理玉米芯粉,混合比为1:2,保护剂(质量比)为甘露醇7%、谷氨酸钠5%、甘油1%,制得菌粉活菌数为1.03×1011 CFU/g,室温保藏30 d和4 °C保藏60 d存活率分别达到40.54%和71.67%。【结论】冷风干燥温度相对较低(10?40 °C),对菌体损伤小,碱处理玉米芯粉、甘露醇和谷氨酸钠是提高菌粉保藏存活率的重要因子,此法克服了革兰氏阴性菌菌粉不易制备和不耐保藏的瓶颈。     

固氮施氏假单胞菌亚硝酸盐还原酶基因nirS转录特性及功能鉴定

【目的】研究固氮施氏假单胞菌(Pseudomonas stutzeri)A1501亚硝酸盐还原酶结构基因nir S的转录调控机制及其在反硝化过程中的功能。【方法】构建nir S-lac Z融合载体,利用三亲本结合法将其导入野生型A1501,通过β-半乳糖苷酶活性的测定,分析不同供氧状况、不同浓度的硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐对nir S基因表达的影响;同时将该载体导入rpo N突变株中,研究氮代谢调控因子Rpo N对nir S基因转录影响。通过同源重组方法构建nir S突变株,通过生化表型测定明确nir S在反硝化过程中的功能。【结果】启动子活性测定表明,nir S基因厌氧条件下高水平表达,是好氧条件下表达水平的4倍;nir S的表达受硝酸盐诱导,但不受亚硝酸盐的诱导;Rpo N突变株中,nir S的表达活性为野生型的1/4,nir S启动子未发现Rpo N的保守结合位点,表明nir S的表达受Rpo N间接调控。表型测定显示以硝酸盐为电子受体时Δnir S的反硝化能力降低了约20%;以亚硝酸盐为电子受体时Δnir S仅有微弱的反硝化能力,并且nir S的突变使得菌体在反硝化条件下利用亚硝酸盐的能力显著减弱。nir S突变提高了菌体在亚硝酸为电子受体的反硝化条件下的固氮酶活。【结论】A1501中nir S基因的转录受外界氧及硝酸盐的影响,同时受氮代谢Sigma因子Rpo N的调控。nir S在A1501菌反硝化过程中起关键作用,参与了亚硝酸盐的转化。     

Salmonella Typhimurium strain expressing OprF‐OprI protects mice against fatal infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa poses a major threat to human health and to the mink industry. Thus, development of vaccines that elicit robust humoral and cellular immunity against P. aeruginosa is greatly needed. In this study, a recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine (RASV) that expresses the outer membrane proteins fusion OprF_190–342‐OprI_21–83 (F1I2) from P. aeruginosa was constructed and the potency of this vaccine candidate assessed by measuring F1I2‐specific humoral immune responses upon vaccination through s.c. or oral routes. S.C. administration achieved higher serum IgG titers and IgA titers in the intestine and induced stronger F1I2‐specific IgG and IgA titers in lung homogenate than did oral administration, which resulted in low IgG titers and no local IgA production. High titers of IFN‐γ, IL‐4, and T‐lymphocyte subsets induced a mixed Th1/Th2 response in mice immunized s.c., indicating elicitation of cellular immunity. Importantly, when immunized mice were challenged with P. aeruginosa by the intranasal route 30 days after the initial immunization, s.c. vaccination achieved 77.78% protection, in contrast to 41.18% via oral administration and 66.67% via Escherichia coli‐expressed F1I2 (His‐F1I2) vaccination. These results indicate that s.c. vaccination provides a better protective response against P. aeruginosa infection than do oral administration and the His‐F1I2 vaccine.     

假单胞菌N-13中丝氨酸羟甲基转移酶的酶学性质研究

从产L-丝氨酸菌株假单胞菌N-13中纯化了丝氨酸羟甲基转移酶,并对其性质进行了研究.结果表明,丝氨酸羟甲基转移酶酶活力在pH=7.0～9.0间稳定,最适宜pH=8.0;酶的最适温度为35℃,在30～40℃水浴30 min酶活力未见明显下降.磷酸吡哆醛的最适添加浓度为25 μmol·L-1.研究了不同金属离子对酶活力的影...     

产γ-谷氨基甲酰胺合成酶菌株的筛选及产酶条件研究

以假单胞菌(Pseudomonas sp.)为出发菌株,通过紫外诱变筛选得到一株γ-谷氨基甲酰胺合成酶高产菌株UV-19,其酶活提高32.54%。以突变株UV-19为供试菌株,对γ-谷氨基甲酰胺合成酶的发酵条件进行优化。首先利用Plackett-Burman设计筛选出影响较大的4个因素:葡萄糖、蛋白胨、起始pH值、装液量。在此基础上再利用CCD响应面分析法进行优化,得到最佳产酶培养条件为(g/L):葡萄糖15、蛋白胨12、NaCl 5.0、MgSO4.7H2O 0.2、K2HPO4.3H2O 0.5、甲胺盐酸盐1.0g/L、起始pH值6.5、装液量72mL/250mL。该优化条件下进行产酶培养,假单胞菌发酵产γ-谷氨基甲酰胺合成酶酶活力可达32.68U/mL。