“Self” and “Non-Self” in the Control of Phytoalexin Biosynthesis: Plant Phospholipases A2 with Alkaloid-Specific Molecular Fingerprints

The overproduction of specialized metabolites requires plants to manage the inherent burdens, including the risk of self-intoxication. We present a control mechanism that stops the expression of phytoalexin biosynthetic enzymes by blocking the antecedent signal transduction cascade. Cultured cells of Eschscholzia californica (Papaveraceae) and Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae) overproduce benzophenanthridine alkaloids and monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, respectively, in response to microbial elicitors. In both plants, an elicitor-responsive phospholipase A2 (PLA2) at the plasma membrane generates signal molecules that initiate the induction of biosynthetic enzymes. The final alkaloids produced in the respective plant inhibit the respective PLA, a negative feedback that prevents continuous overexpression. The selective inhibition by alkaloids from the class produced in the “self” plant could be transferred to leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana via recombinant expression of PLA2. The 3D homology model of each PLA2 displays a binding pocket that specifically accommodates alkaloids of the class produced by the same plant, but not of the other class; for example, C. roseus PLA2 only accommodates C. roseus alkaloids. The interaction energies of docked alkaloids correlate with their selective inhibition of PLA2 activity. The existence in two evolutionary distant plants of phospholipases A2 that discriminate “self-made” from “foreign” alkaloids reveals molecular fingerprints left in signal enzymes during the evolution of species-specific, cytotoxic phytoalexins.     

Microbiological Degradation of Malodorous Substances of Swine Waste under Aerobic Conditions

Phenol, p-cresol, and volatile fatty acids (VFA; acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acids) were used as odor indicators of swine waste. Aeration of the waste allowed the indigenous microorganisms to grow and degrade these malodorous substances. The time required for degradation of these substances varied according to the waste used, and it was not necessarily related to their concentrations. Using a minimal medium which contained one of the malodorous compounds as sole carbon source, we have selected from swine waste microorganisms that can grow in the medium. The majority of these microorganisms were able to degrade the same substrate when inoculated in sterilized swine waste but with an efficiency varying from one strain to the other. None of these strains was able to degrade all malodorous substances studied. Within 6 days of incubation these selected strains degraded the following: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, phenol and all VFA; Alcaligenes faecalis, p-cresol and all VFA; Corynebacterium glutamicum and Micrococcus sp., phenol, p-cresol, and acetic and propionic acids; Arthrobacter flavescens, all VFA. On a laboratory scale, the massive inoculation of swine waste with C. glutamicum or Micrococcus sp. accelerated degradation of the malodorous substances. However, this effect was not observed with all of the various swine wastes tested. These results suggest that an efficient deodorization process of various swine wastes could be developed at the farm level based on the aerobic indigenous microflora of each waste.     

Isolation and preliminary characterization of a 2-chlorobenzoate degrading Pseudomonas

Pseudomonas sp. strain B-300, which is able to utilize 2-chlorobenzoic acid, was isolated from a soil sample by enrichment culture. This strain was shown to grow on 2-chlorobenzoic acid and to completely degrade the substrate with concomitant chlorine ion release. Concentrations of 2-chlorobenzoic acid higher than 0.5% (w/v) were toxic to the cells. Our study also suggested that in the presence of glucose, 2-chlorobenzoic acid is converted to catechol or chlorocatechol; these are in turn transformed to muconic and chloromuconic acid, respectively, suggesting a repression by glucose of some of the degradation pathway enzymes. A similar scheme was already described for 3-chlorobenzoate degradation by pAC25 plasmid.     

Cloning of Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS3 genes specifying dehalogenation of 4-chlorobenzoate.

The degradation of 4-chlorobenzoate (4-CBA) by Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS3 is thought to proceed first by the dehalogenation of 4-CBA to 4-hydroxybenzoate (4-HBA), which is then metabolized following the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway. The cloning of the 4-CBA dehalogenation system was carried out by constructing a gene bank of Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS3 in Pseudomonas putida. Hybrid plasmid pPSA843 contains a 9.5-kilobase-pair fragment derived from the chromosome of Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS3. This plasmid confers on P. putida the ability to dehalogenate 4-CBA and grow on 4-CBA as the only source of carbon. However, pPSA843 did not complement mutants of P. putida unable to grow on 4-HBA (POB-), showing that the genes involved in the metabolism of 4-HBA were not cloned. Subcloning of Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS3 genes revealed that most of the insert is required for the dehalogenation of 4-CBA, suggesting that more than one gene product is involved in this dehalogenation.     

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to the beta-adrenergic antagonist alprenolol as models of the receptor binding site

Antibodies to receptor ligands have been valuable in understanding the nature of receptor-ligand interactions. We have developed four monoclonal antibodies to the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist alprenolol by immunizing A/J mice with (-)-alprenolol coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. The antisera from these mice displayed specific [3H]dihydroalprenolol ([3H]DHA) binding that was inhibited by alprenolol, propranolol, and isoproterenol. Somatic cell fusion of spleen cells from the immunized mice to SP2/0 myeloma cells, followed by limited dilution subcloning, resulted in the isolation of four hybridomas (1B7, 5B7, 5D9, and 2G9) demonstrating three different classes of ligand binding characteristics. 1B7 had the highest binding affinity for antagonists based on Scatchard analysis (Kd [125I]- CYP = 1.4 X 10(-10) M; Kd [3H]DHA = 6.5 X 10(-9) M), and was the only antibody to demonstrate agonist-inhibition of [3H]DHA binding. Ki values computed from competitive inhibition curves of [3H]DHA binding to 1B7 resulted in a rank order of potency similar to that of beta-2-adrenergic receptors: (-)-propranolol greater than acebutolol amine greater than isoproterenol greater than (+)-propranolol greater than epinephrine greater than norepinephrine. 5B7 and 5D9 exemplified a second class of antibody. This pair had lower antagonist binding affinities (Kd [3H]DHA = 2 X 10(-8) M and 2.5 X 10(-7) M, respectively) and was stereoselective in binding receptor antagonists: (-)-propranolol greater than (+)-propranolol greater than acebutolol amine. Agonist inhibition of [3H]DHA binding to these antibodies could only be observed at very high concentrations (greater than 10(-4) M agonist), and was not dose-dependent. Finally, the class of anti-alprenolol monoclonal antibodies represented by 2G9 had the lowest antagonist binding affinity of all (IC50 alprenolol = 1 X 10(-5) M), did not demonstrate ligand stereoselectivity, and did not recognize agonists. We propose that antibodies raised against beta-adrenergic receptor ligands demonstrating stereoselective agonist binding will also demonstrate high affinity antagonist binding, and that they will closely parallel the binding characteristics of the receptor. According to this "agonist best-fit hypothesis," anti-idiotypic antibodies raised against the binding site of these idiotypes might contain true mirror images of the beta-adrenergic receptor binding site.     

Total biodegradation of 4-chlorobiphenyl (4 CB) by a two-membered bacterial culture

Summary Several bacterial strains that can oxidize mono- and dichlorinated biphenyls with one unsubstituted ring have already been described. The major route for this biodegradation leads ultimately to the corresponding chlorobenzoic acid, but several other minor chlorinated metabolites that might possibly be of concern for the environment have also been described previously. Since none of the bacterial strains that are able to oxidize these chlorinated biphenyls in pure culture are known to degrade chlorobenzoic acid, the oxidation of these substrates by axenic cultures always generates chlorobenzoates plus several other metabolites. In the present study, we have estimated the biodegradation of 4-chlorobiphenyl (4CB) by a two-membered bacterial culture containing one strain able to grow on 4CB and to transform it into 4-chlorobenzoate (4CBA) and one strain able to degrade 4CBA. The results were encouraging, since it was shown that the degradation of 4CB was more rapid and complete with the double bacterial culture.     

Pleiotropic mutations regulating resistance to glucose repression in Saccharomyces carlsbergensis are allelic to the structural gene for hexokinase B.

Previously, we described a mutation glr1-1 in Saccharomyces carlsbergensis which pleiotropically relieves the synthesis of the following enzymes from glucose repression: maltase, galactokinase, alpha-galactosidase, NADH:cytochrome c reductase, and cytochrome c oxidase (C. A. Michels and A. Romanowski, J. Bacteriol, 143:674-679, 1980.) In this report, we demonstrate that glr1-1 and two other alleles, glr1-3 and glr1-16, are also insensitive to the glucose repression of invertase synthesis. Determinations of the levels of hexokinase activity and the rate of glucose transport in these mutants show that both are reduced as compared with the parent strain. Complementation tests and genetic analysis indicate that the glr1 mutations are allelic to HXK2, the structural gene for hexokinase B. The significance of this result is discussed with regard to the mechanism of glucose repression in S. carlsbergensis.     

Characterization of active recombinant 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dehydrogenase from Comamonas testosteroni B-356 and sequence of the encoding gene (bphB).

2,3-Dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl-2,3-dehydrogenase (B2,3D) catalyzes the second step in the biphenyl degradation pathway. The nucleotide sequence of Comamonas testosteroni B-356 bphB, which encodes B2,3D, was determined. Structural analysis showed that the dehydrogenases involved in the bacterial degradation of aromatic compounds are related to each other and that their phylogenetic relationships are very similar to the relationships observed for dioxygenases that catalyze the initial reaction in the degradation pathway. The bphB sequence was used to produce recombinant active His-tagged B2,3D, which allowed us to describe for the first time some of the main features of a B2,3D. This enzyme requires NAD+, its optimal pH is 9.5, and its native M(r) was found to be 123,000, which makes it a tetramer. These characteristics are very similar to those reported for the related enzyme cis-toluene dihydrodiol dehydrogenase. The Km value and maximum rate of metabolism for 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl were 73 +/- 16 microM and 46 +/- 4 nmol min-1 microgram-1, respectively. Compared with the cis-toluene dihydrodiol dehydrogenase, B2,3D appeared to be more substrate specific since it was unable to attack cis-1,2-dihydroxy-cyclohexa-3,5-diene.     

A method facilitating the demonstration of synergism in the tissue-responses to mixed peptide stimuli

A methodology for the pharmacodynamical assay of mixtures of 2 spasmogenic peptides is described, illustrated and discussed, with reference to a method intended for the chemists (P. Job, 1927). This allows a quick appreciation of the existence of synergism, of its own order of magnitude and of that of the doses for which it is significant. Also given is a fast way of curve-fitting the dose response to individual peptides, according to Clark's approximation.     

Bactericidal and bacteriostatic antigonococcal activities produced by urogenital staphylococci

We have overcome some of the difficulties in obtaining soluble antigonococcal activity produced by staphylococci by using a very sensitive detection method. This method is based on the light absorbance determinations of liquid cultures of the gonococcus incubated for 6 h in the presence of serial dilutions of the inhibitor as compared to the absorbance of uninhibited control cultures. Antigonococcal activity was detected in the liquid phase prepared from semisolid agar cultures of all twenty two staphylococcal isolates tested. Sixteen supernatants from liquid cultures were also found to be active. The antigonococcal activity detected was differentiated by colony forming units counts into two types, bacteriostatic and bactericidal. After 6 h of incubation of the gonococcus in the presence of five arbitrary units (AU)/ml of the bactericidal activity produced by one of the strains of staphylococci, isolate 37, the loss of viability was over 99.9%, while 10 AU/ml of the bacteriostatic activity produced by isolate 66 did not cause any loss of viability of the gonococcus.