Purification and characterization of PrbA,a new esterase from Enterobacter cloacae hydrolyzing the esters of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens)

The esterase PrbA from Enterobacter cloacae strain EM has previously been shown to confer additional resistance to the esters of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens) to two species of Enterobacter. The PrbA protein has been purified from E. cloacae strain EM using a three-step protocol resulting in a 60-fold increase in specific activity. The molecular mass of the mature enzyme was determined to be 54,619 +/- 1 Da by mass spectrometry. It is highly active against a series of parabens with alkyl groups ranging from methyl to butyl, with K(m) and V(max) values ranging from 0.45 to 0.88 mM and 0.031 to 0.15 mM/min, respectively. The K(m) and V(max) values for p-nitrophenyl acetate were 3.7 mM and 0.051 mM/min. PrbA hydrolyzed a variety of structurally analogous compounds, with activities larger than 20% relative to propyl paraben for methyl 3-hydroxybenzoate, methyl 4-aminobenzoate, or methyl vanillate. The enzyme showed optimum activity at 31 degrees C and at pH 7.0. PrbA was able to transesterify parabens with alcohols of increasing chain length from methanol to n-butanol, achieving 64% transesterification of 0.5 mm propyl paraben with 5% methanol within 2 h. PrbA was inhibited by 1-chloro-3-tosylamido-4-phenyl-2-butanone and 1-chloro-3-tosylamido-7-amino-2-heptanone (TLCK), with K(i) values of 0.29 and 0.20 mM, respectively, and was irreversibly inhibited by Diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) or diethyl pyrocarbonate. The stoichiometry of addition of DFP to the enzyme was 1:1 and only 1 TLCK molecule was found in TLCK-modified enzyme, as measured by mass spectrometry. Analysis of the tryptic digest of the DFP-modified PrbA demonstrated that the addition of a DFP molecule occurred at Ser-189, indicating the location of the active serine.     

Temperature sensitivity of a nifA-like gene in Enterobacter cloacae.

Nitrogen fixation (nif) genes of Enterobacter cloacae, a rhizosphere diazotroph of rice plants, were identified by using cloned Klebsiella pneumoniae nif gene fragments as probes for molecular hybridization. The product of a nifA-like gene of E. cloacae appeared less temperature sensitive than the K. pneumoniae nifA gene product. This result correlates with the fact that E. cloacae can fix nitrogen at 39 degrees C, while K. pneumoniae cannot.     

A melibiose transporter and an operon containing its gene in Enterobacter cloacae.

We detected inducible melibiose transport activity in cells of Enterobacter cloacae IID977. H+, but not Na+, was found to be the coupling cation for this transporter. We cloned and sequenced the gene encoding the melibiose transporter. A homology search of a protein sequence database revealed that this melibiose transporter has high sequence similarity with the lactose transporter (LacY) and the raffinose transporter (RafB) and has some similarity with the melibiose transporter (MelB) of Escherichia coli.     

229株阴沟肠杆菌的标本分布及耐药性分析

目的 了解阴沟肠杆菌在医院感染的标本分布和耐药情况,为临床合理选择和应用抗生素提供依据.方法 采用VITEK 60全自动微生物分析仪和配套的GNI、GNS-143、GNI-448,对229株阴沟肠杆菌进行分离鉴定和药敏试验,药敏结果使用WHONET 5.5软件进行分析.结果 从2007年1月至2011年9月共分离到阴沟肠杆菌229株,59.0％来自于呼吸道标本,其次是尿液占13.5％,再次为创面分泌物/脓液占12.7％.阴沟肠杆菌对美洛培南、亚胺培南和头孢哌酮/舒巴坦的耐药率分别为0.0％、0.4％和2.5％,对氨苄西林、头孢唑啉、头孢西丁的耐药率分别为98.7％、96.9％、97.5％.结论 阴沟肠杆菌耐药机制复杂,对抗生素具有多重耐药性,临床应合理使用抗菌药物,以减少阴沟肠杆菌耐药性的产生和在院内扩散.     

Molecular cloning of the gene for indolepyruvate decarboxylase from Enterobacter cloacae

Summary Although indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a well-known plant hormone, the main IAA biosynthetic pathway from l-tryptophan (Trp) via indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPyA) has yet to be elucidated. Previous studies have suggested that IAA is produced by Enterobacter cloacae isolated from the rhizosphere of cucumbers and its biosynthetic pathway may possibly be the same as that in plants. To elucidate this pathway, the IAA biosynthetic gene was isolated from a genomic library of E. cloacae by assaying for the ability to convert Trp to IAA. DNA sequence analysis showed that this gene codes for only one enzyme and its predicted protein sequence has extensive homology with pyruvate decarboxylase in yeast and Zymomonas mobilis. Cell-free extracts prepared from Escherichia coli harboring this gene could convert IPyA to indole-3-acetaldehyde (IAAld). These results clearly show that this pathway is mediated only by indolepyruvate decarboxylase, which catalyzes the conversion of IPyA to IAAld.     

Characterization of an exopolysaccharide produced by a marine Enterobacter cloacae

An exopolysaccharide producing marine bacterium, Enterobacter cloacae, was isolated from marine sediment collected from Gujarat coast, India. Chemical investigation of exopolysaccharide (EPS 71 a) revealed that this exopolysaccharide was an acidic polysaccliaride containing high amount of uronic acid, fucose and sulfate which is rare for bacterial exopolysaccharides. EPS 71a was found to have fucose, galactose, glucose and glucuronic acid in a molar ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1.     

Cellulosic ethanol production by Zymomonas mobilis harboring an endoglucanase gene from Enterobacter cloacae

Enterobactercloacae was isolated from the gut of the wood feeding termite, Heterotermesindicola, and a 2.25-kb fragment conferring cellulase activity was cloned in Escherichiacoli. The cloned fragment contained a 1083-bp ORF which could encode a protein belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 8. The cellulase gene was introduced into Zymomonasmobilis strain Microbial Type Culture Collection centre (MTCC) on a plasmid and 0.134 filter paper activity unit (FPU)/ml units of cellulase activity was observed with the recombinant bacterium. Using carboxymethyl cellulose and 4% NaOH pretreated bagasse as substrates, the recombinant strain produced 5.5% and 4% (V/V) ethanol respectively, which was threefold higher than the amount obtained with the original E.cloacae isolate. The recombinant Z. mobilis strain could be improved further by simultaneous expression of cellulase cocktails before utilizing it for industrial level ethanol production.     

Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and expression of the nitroreductase gene from Enterobacter cloacae

The "classical" nitroreductases of enteric bacteria are flavoproteins which catalyze the reduction of a variety of nitroaromatic compounds to metabolites which are highly toxic, mutagenic, or carcinogenic. The gene for the nitroreductase Enterobacter cloacae has now been cloned using an antibody specific to this protein. The nucleotide sequence of the structural gene and flanking regions are reported. Sequence analysis indicates that this gene belongs to a gene family of flavoproteins which have not been previously described. Analysis of the 5'-untranslated region reveals the presence of putative regulatory elements which may be involved in the modulation of the expression of this enzyme. The cloned gene was placed under the control of a T7 promoter for overexpression of the protein in Escherichia coli. The expressed recombinant protein was purified to homogeneity and exhibited physical, spectral, and catalytic properties identical to the protein isolated from E. cloacae.     

Chromate-resistance in a chromate-reducing strain of Enterobacter cloacae

Resistance to toxic hexavalent chromium (chromate: CrO4(2)) in Enterobacter cloacae strain HO1, isolated from an activated sludge sample, was investigated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Decreased uptake of 51CrO4(2-) in E. cloacae strain HO1 was observed under aerobic conditions, when compared with a standard laboratory E. cloacae strain (IAM 1624). Under anaerobic conditions E. cloacae strain HO1 was able to reduce hexavalent chromium to the less toxic trivalent form. When E. clocacae strain HO1 was grown with nitrate anaerobically, the cells were observed to lose simultaneously their chromate-reducing ability and chromate-resistance under anaerobic conditions.     

Survival of,and plasmid transfer between modified Enterobacter cloacae strains under long-term starvation conditions in a continuous-flow system

Continuous-flow, packed-bed column reactors, which provide an experimental model of a soil profile, were used to investigate survival of, and plasmid transfer between, strains of Enterobacter cloacae. When columns, inoculated with nutrient-sufficient donor and recipient strains, were provided with a minimal salts medium with no added carbon source, transconjugant cells appeared in their effluents. During the first few days of such experiments, the concentration of cells in the effluent declined but then the donor population stabilized, while the recipient and transconjugant populations continued to decrease. The results indicate that the amount of nutrient required to maintain and transfer plasmids is very low. No transconjugants were observed in the effluent from columns inoculated with pre-starved donor and recipient strains.     

Cloning and characterization of chromosomally encoded cephalosporinase gene of Enterobacter cloacae

The cephalosporinase gene, cpa, which codes for an inducible class I chromosomal beta-lactamase in Enterobacter cloacae was cloned on a fragment of 6.05 kilobase pairs inserted into plasmid pACYC184 and transferred into Escherichia coli HB101 recipient cells. The constructed hybrid plasmid, designated pGGQ101, carried a genomic fragment which retained its parental inducibility characteristics, although its expression level in transformed E. coli cells fell to 40-65% of its initial level in E. cloacae. The localization of the cpa gene on pGGQ101 plasmid was determined by Bal31 exonuclease deletion mapping and further confirmed by subcloning HindIII-AvaI restriction fragment on pMB9 plasmid vector. Labeling with [35S]methionine of pGGQ101 specified proteins in a minicell system showed that six or seven proteins are encoded by the insert. Two proteins with apparent molecular mass of 42 000 and 39 500 daltons, respectively, most probably represent the premature and mature cephalosporinase forms.     

Enterobacter cloacae, an obligatory endophyte of pollen grains of Mediterranean pines

Enterobacter cloacae was found to be associated with the pollen of several Mediterranean pines. The bacterium was detected only in mature pollen of Pinus halepensis, P. brutia, and P. pinea. E. cloacae is considered to be an obligatory endophyte based on its occurrence in disinfected male cones and the successful inoculation of seedlings of the above 3 species with E. cloacae AS1 isolated from pollen of P. halepensis used as a model strain. Strain AS1 was able to produce indolyl-3-acetic acid (IAA) from L-tryptophan in culture, and this was probably the source of the increased IAA content in the germination medium of pollen. In addition, strain AS1 promoted adventitious root formation in mung bean (Vigna radiata) cuttings. However, it was not possible to obtain bacterium-free pollen to elucidate its role in pollen germination.     

Purification, characterization, and gene cloning of 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase of Enterobacter cloacae P240

We found the occurrence of 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase in Enterobacter cloacae P240, isolated from soils under anaerobic conditions, and purified the enzyme to homogeneity. The purified enzyme was a homohexamer of identical 60 kDa subunits. The purified decarboxylase catalyzed the nonoxidative decarboxylation of 4-hydroxybenzoate without requiring any cofactors. Its K _m value for 4-hydroxybenzoate was 596 μM. The enzyme also catalyzed decarboxylation of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, for which the K _m value was 6.80 mM. In the presence of 3 M KHCO₃ and 20 mM phenol, the decarboxylase catalyzed the reverse carboxylation reaction of phenol to form 4-hydroxybenzoate with a molar conversion yield of 19%. The K _m value for phenol was calculated to be 14.8 mM. The gene encoding the 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase was isolated from E. cloacae P240. Nucleotide sequencing of recombinant plasmids revealed that the 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase gene codes for a 475-amino-acid protein. The amino acid sequence of the enzyme is similar to those of 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase of Clostridium hydroxybenzoicum (53% identity), VdcC protein (vanillate decarboxylase) of Streptomyces sp. strain D7 (72%) and 3-octaprenyl-4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase of Escherichia coli (28%). The hypothetical proteins, showing 96–97% identities to the primary structure of E. cloacae P240 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase, were found in several bacterial strains.     

62株阴沟肠杆菌的生化特性和药敏结果

目的探讨临床分离阴沟肠杆菌的实用鉴定方法.方法对VITEK-32微生物分析仪鉴定所得的62株阴沟肠杆菌的生化反应和药敏结果作回顾性分析.结果 62株阴沟肠杆菌用鉴定卡鉴定的可信度在94%～99%,其中51株为99%、占82.3%,4株为95%、占6.5%,其他7株、占11.2%.阴沟肠杆菌对除外亚胺培南的20种抗生素均有不同程度的耐药.结论脲酶、侧金盏花醇、精氨酸水解和赖氨酸脱羧等试验对肠杆菌属中5个常见菌种(阴沟、坂崎、产气、聚团和格高菲肠杆菌)的鉴别有重要意义.     

多重耐药阴沟肠杆菌质粒型AmpC酶DHA-1基因的检出

目的测定56株同时耐头孢噻肟、庆大霉素和环丙沙星的阴沟肠杆菌质粒型AmpC酶基因型。方法先后用头孢西丁纸片法、三维试验、等电聚焦及酶抑制试验和微量稀释法进行表型检测。接合试验证实酶基因的转移性。多重聚合酶链反应以及基因测序等方法鉴定质粒型AmpC酶基因型。结果受试的56株细菌中有5株三维试验阳性,其中1株能转移接合,接合子多重聚合酶链反应扩增结果呈阳性,等电点为7．8,基因测序表明和DHA-1型AmpC酶一致。结论我国的多重耐药阴沟肠杆菌已获得质粒型DHA基因,DHA基因可通过转化、接合等方式转移给其他细菌且易于传播,因此应加强监控以防DHA基因在革兰阴性菌中流行。