Isolation and characterization ofSerratia marcescens mutants defective in prodigiosin biosynthesis

Mutants deficient in the biosynthesis of prodigiosin have been obtained by treatingSerratia marcescens with high doses of ultraviolet radiation. Mutants were selected on the basis of the color characteristics of their colonies when grown on peptone glycerol medium. New types of mutants, with unusual blocks in the biosynthetic pathway of prodigiosin, were obtained. All the mutants were classified under a new scheme on the basis of the syntrophic pigmentation characteristic and infrared spectroscopic analysis of their pigment. By these criteria mutants could be distinguished into eight distinct classes. Classes I to III include mutants of the three classes (M1, B3, and B1) reported previously [Morrison, DA (1966) J Bacteriol 91:1599–1604] and several new ones. Mutants blocked in the methylamylpyrrole (MAP) arm of the bifurcated pathway were assigned to class I. A class II mutant was distinguished by its inability to synthesize methoxybipyrrolecarboxyaldehyde (MBC), but was able to produce norprodigiosin. Class III mutants were deficient in the synthesis of hydroxybipyrrolecarboxaldehyde (HBC). Double mutants were obtained with defects in the expression of both MBC and MAP and were assigned to class IV. Mutants of class V were unable to synthesize HBC and MAP, but could form MBC when furnished with exogenous HBC. Class VI and VII mutants were defective in the synthesis of all three precursors, but differed in their ability to perform the coupling step. Finally, a mutant of class VIII was found to produce the three intermediates, but was deficient in prodigiosin or norprodigiosin biosynthesis, indicative of a defect in the enzymatic condensation of MAP with the bipyrroles MBC and HBC. The anomalous pattern of syntrophism among certain interclass mutants suggests that the physiology of pigment formation inS. marcescens is quite complex.     

Influence of aflatoxin B1 on a bacteriocinogenic strain ofSerratia marcescens

The ability of aflatoxin B₁, the most potent hepatocarcinogen known, to induce bacteriocin synthesis inSerratia marcescens strain Nima was studied. The optimal induction dose of aflatoxin B₁ was found to be 20μg/ml, which on the average increased the number of bacteriocinproducing cells by a factor of 11.5. Doses less than 5 μg or more than 40 μg per ml did not have a pronounced stimulating action. The optimum incubation time for maximum bacteriocin synthesis was found to be 1.5 h.     

Lipopolysaccharide heterogeneity in strains ofSerratia marcescens agglutinated by O14 antiserum

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from 71 strains ofSerratia marcescens that were agglutinated by O14 antiserum were examined by SDS-PAGE. Four major profiles were found, designated LPS1 to LPS4. These groups accounted for 51, 7, 5, and 3 strains respectively. Five strains were unclassified. Immunoblotting showed that O14 antibodies bound only to LPS1 and not to LPS2, 3, or 4. LPS1 also bound antibodies in O1, O4, O12, and O23 antisera. LPS2 reacted specifically with O8 antiserum, LPS3 with O6, and LPS4 with O2, O3, O6, O12, and O21 antisera. These reactions were not found in agglutination tests with boiled, whole-cell antigens. However, tests with autoclaved antigens (45 min at 121°C) corroborated the immunoblotting classifications; LPS1 strains belonged to serotype O14, LPS2 to serotype O8, LPS3 to serotype O6, and LPS4 to serotype O21. We conclude that there is a heat-stable antigen on many clinical strains ofS. marcescens that masks the expression of O-specific LPS antigens and which binds with nonspecific antibody in serum O14. We propose that O-antigens should be prepared from autoclaved cultures and that the H-reference strain O14H9 CDC 1783-57 (LPS2) should be reclassified as serotype O8.     

The extracellular metalloprotease ofSerratia marcescens: I. Purification and characterization

Summary An extracellular protease ofSerratia marcescens produced during growth on skim milk medium was isolated by ethanol precipitation. The protease was purified by salt fractionation, DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography on Agarose P-100. It has a broad optimum from pH 6.0 to 9.0 and a temperature optimum of 45°C for proteolytic activity on casein. It was classified as a metallo-protease by virtue of its inactivation by metal-ion chelators and reactivation by ferrous ions. Proteolytic activity was not affected by diiso-propylfluorophosphate, p-chloromercuribenzoate and dithiothreitol.     

Exocellular proteases ofSerratia marcescens and their toxicity to larvae ofGalleria mellonella

Out of 18 strains ofSerratia marcescens producing exocellular proteases the strainSerratia marcescens CCEB 415 was selected according to preliminary experiments. It could be shown that the train exhibits proteolytic activity reaching up to 10 TU per 1 ml of the culture filtrate in a medium with gelatine and peptone. Two proteolytic enzymes could be demonstrated by means of specific inhibitors EDTA and diisopropyfluorophosphate: metaloprotease with optimum activity at pH 7.5 and serine protease with pH optimum of 10.9. The enzymes were purified on Sephadex and DEAE cellulose columns and by means of gel electrophoresis. However, it was not possible to separate them. The optimum temperature for activity of the mixture of the two enzymes was 50 ° C, molecular weight varied around 37000 (according to gel filtration); certain kinetic characteristics of their activity were determined. Excess subtrate (casein) inhibited activity of the enzyme mixture. Toxicity of proteases expressed as LD₅₀ units equals 78. 10⁻³ TU per larva ofGalleria mellonella.     

Protease and lipase production by a strain ofSerratia marcescens (532 S)

Summary Production of both exolipase and exoprotease activities bySerratia marcescens 532 S isolated from an aerobic fixed-biomass reactor were strongly influenced by nutritional factors which acted as inducers or repressors. In batch culture, protease and lipase activities were produced after the exponential phase. NH₄Cl, amino acids and simple carbon sources caused repression of protease activity. At a concentration of 1.5 g L^–1, the individual addition of maltose, mannitol, acetate, fructose or glucose, repressed exoprotease production, with the greatest effect by glucose. An inverse relationship existed between exoprotease synthesis and increasing glucose concentrations. Lipids activated lipase production, the most significant increase occurred when Tween 80 was added in the medium. Thus, glucidolytic, proteolytic and lipolytic activities could be efficiently expressed in batch cultures only successively.At low dilution rate of chemostat cultures with a constant glucose input concentration of 2 g L^–1, glucidolytic, proteolytic and lipolytic activities were produced, but did not have the same regulation: atD values <0.08 h^–1, the level of protease activity dropped while that of lipase showed a corresponding increase. Above these values, increasingD led to a decrease of the two hydrolase activities, at the level of the specific activities as well as in the specific rate of biosynthesis of each enzyme. Similar results were obtained in chemostat culture with a constant specific growth rate of 0.04 h^–1 with increasing glucose input concentrations, i.e. protease and lipase activities decreased when the specific glucose uptake rates were enhanced.     

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis as an epidemiological tool for clonal identification of Aeromonas hydrophila

Pulsedfield gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to characterize Aeromonas hydrophila strains isolated from a cluster of hospital-acquired infections that occurred over approximately 1 month in a French hospital. Five isolates from patients and 10 isolates from the water supply were characterized by biotyping and antibiotic susceptibility patterns and compared with 10 epidemiologically unrelated strains isolated from patients and rivers, by PFGE of digests of chromosomal DNA. Five environmental and four clinical isolates belonged to the same biotype and antibiotic susceptibility pattern type. The endonucleases XbaI, SpeI and SwaI gave satisfactory profiles whereas DraI did not. The profiles were stable, reproducible and discriminatory. The 10 epidemiologically unrelated strains exhibited 10 different patterns after digestion with XbaI , the least expensive, suitable endonuclease. PFGE is a rapid and discriminatory technique for the typing of Aeromonas hydrophila where a common origin of infection is suspected.     

Resistogram typing as an epidemiological tool for Escherichia coli isolates of poultry origin

A rapid method for the detection of corynetoxins, tunicamycin-like antibiotics, is described. Test samples were applied to or grown on an agar medium and overlain with Clavibacter tritici which is highly sensitive to the toxins. The method could detect 50 ng of tunicamycin. Corynetoxins in a range of field and laboratory samples were readily detected.     

Further characterization of the outer membrane ofSerratia marcescens and an oxacilline-sensitive mutant: Surface carbohydrates and outer membrane lipid composition

Whole cells and isolated outer membranes ofSerratia marcescens and an oxacilline-sensitive mutant could be agglutinated only with concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin. Different amounts of carbohydrates were accessible to the lectins in the two strains, and different amounts of carbohydrate seemed to be exposed at the outer cell surface and the inner side of the outer membrane. The fatty acid composition of the isolated outer membrane revealed small but significant quantitative difference. The increased sensitivity towards various antibacterial agents was thought to be the result of an altered hydrophobic-hydrophilic interaction of the outer membrane components.     

Hemagglutination (fimbriae) and hydrophobicity in adherence ofSerratia marcescens to urinary tract epithelium and contact lenses

The capacity of 59 isolates of Serratia marcescens, obtained from urinary tract infections, wounds, and contact lenses or their paraphernalia, to agglutinate erythrocytes from different animal species was tested. Three main patterns were found: mannose-sensitive agglutination of guinea-pig, fowl or horse erythrocyte; mannose-resistant agglutination of chicken or pigeon erythrocytes alone or in combination with mannose-sensitive agglutination; and no agglutination. Hemagglutination capacity was associated with isolates from urinary tract infection, but not with isolates associated with contact lenses. Adherence to human urinary tract epithelium did not correlate with the hemagglutination patterns nor with the origin of the isolates. Some strains of different hemagglutination pattern were selected for the study of hydrophobicity and adherence to contact lens polymers. Hydrophobicity, as determined by degree of partition in hexadecane and water (BATH-values), correlated neither with degree of adherence to contact lens polymers nor with the hemagglutination pattern. For a representative strain there was an excellent correlation (r2 = 0.98) between adherence and the water content (hydrophobicity) of the lens polymers. These results suggest that, as with tissues, other factors interact with hydrophobicity in causing adherence to plastics.     

Transport of basic amino acids and regulation of aspartate kinase activity in thialysine andL-canavanine resistant strains ofSerratia marcescens

Growth ofSerratia marcescens was not inhibited by high concentrations ofL-lysine and its structural analogues,L-canavanine and S-(2-aminoethyl)-L-cysteine (thialysine). This insensitivity was not caused by deficient transport of basic amino acids, unlike in mutant strains ofEscherichia coli having the same properties. The tested strains showed a lack of regulation at the aspartate kinase level towardL-lysine and thialysine. The data indicate great intraspecific variability for aspartate kinase regulation inS. marcescens.     

Immunomodulators as an antimicrobial tool

The spectrum of infectious diseases has shifted in the past 50 years to include those caused by microbes that cause disease predominantly in immunocompromised individuals. This phenomenon has underscored the dependence of microbial virulence on the immune status of the host. The limited efficacy of the available antimicrobial armamentarium in immunocompromised individuals, combined with increasing resistance to these agents, has led to an urgent need for new therapies for infectious diseases. Immunomodulation represents a novel approach to antimicrobial therapy that depends on bolstering host immunity, rather than direct antimicrobial activity. Immunomodulators can be divided into those that are specific to pathogens (pathogen-specific) and those that are not specific to pathogens (non-specific). However, to date only a few immunomodulators have been evaluated for their efficacy as antimicrobial tools.     

Proteinase protection of prApe1 as a tool to monitor Cvt vesicle/autophagosome biogenesis

Due in part to the increasing number of links between autophagy malfunction and human diseases, this field has gained tremendous attention over the past decade. Our increased understanding of the molecular machinery involved in macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy) seems to indicate that the most complex step, or at least the stage of the process where the majority of the autophagy-related (Atg) proteins participate, is in the formation of the double-membrane sequestering vesicle. Thus, it is important to establish reliable approaches to monitor this specific process. One of the most commonly used methods is morphological analysis by electron microscopy of the cytosolic vesicles used in the cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting (Cvt) pathway and autophagy, or the single-membrane intralumenal products, termed Cvt or autophagic bodies, that are formed after the fusion of these vesicles with the yeast vacuole. This method, however, can be costly and time consuming, and reliable analysis requires expert input. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to detect an incomplete autophagosome by electron microscopy because of the difficulty of obtaining a section that randomly cuts through the open portion of the phagophore. The primary Cvt pathway cargo, precursor amminopeptidase I (prApe1), is enwrapped within either a Cvt vesicle or autophagosome depending on the nutritional conditions. The proteolytic sensitivity of the prApe1 propeptide can therefore serve as a useful tool to determine the completion status of double-membrane Cvt vesicles/autophagosomes in the presence of exogenously added proteinase. Here, we describe an assay that examines the proteinase protection of prApe1 for determining the completion of Cvt vesicles/autophagosomes.     

An epidemiological study of Serratia marcescens infections by bacteriocin typing

Bacteriocin sensitivity typing according to the method of Traub (Appl. Microbiol. 1971. 21: 837-840) was carried out on 226 clinical isolates of Serratia marcescens obtained from inpatients at Nagasaki University Hospital during the period from January 1976 to December 1978. The isolates were divided into 16 different bacteriocin types, mainly 26, 4, and 9. The distribution of the types suggests that Serratia marcescens infections may be caused by cross infection. Reproducibility of bacteriocin typing and the relationship between serotypes (O-antigen) and bacteriocin types are discussed in regard to the application of this method to the study of nosocomial infections.     

Relaxed mutants ofSerratia marcescens SM-6. Biochemical traits and relevance of therel + allele for the formation of exoenzymes

Serratia marcescens SM-6 when starved for a required amino acid stops synthesizing protein and RNA and accumulates two nucleotides which cochromatograph with ppGpp and pppGpp. These features are characteristic of bacterial strains with stringent RNA control (rel⁺). Two independent mutants were isolated which resemble relaxed (relA) mutants ofEscherichia coli; they continue to synthesize RNA and accumulate neither ppGpp nor pppGpp when deprived of the required amino acid. The extracellular enzyme activities (nuclease, protease, lipase) of the relaxed mutants are about the same as those of the parental stringent strain when studied under standard growth conditions. Exoenzyme-deficient (nuc; prt) and exoenzyme-hyperproducing (nuc^su) mutants were isolated from both stringent and relaxed strains ofS. marcences SM-6 and no change of the cellular ability to form ppGpp and pppGpp could be observed. From these results it appears that the formation of exoenzymes ofS. marcescens SM-6 is independent of stringent/relaxed RNA control.Abbreviations cpd cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase deficient - nuc nuclease deficient - nuc^su nuclease hyperproducing - prt protease deficient - rel relaxed control - spo ppGpp deficient (spot less) - ppGpp guanosine tetraphosphate - pppGpp guanosine pentaphosphate - TCA trichloroacetic acid - OD optical density - EU enzyme units