Energy utilization for polysaccharide synthesis by mixed rumen organisms fermenting soluble carbohydrates

Synthesis of reserve polysaccharide by mixed rumen organisms fermenting glucose, maltose, cellobiose, and xylose has been studied in relation to the adenosine triphosphate energy calculated to be available from substrate fermentation. About 80% of the energy available from glucose and xylose was used for polysaccharide synthesis, whereas, assuming hydrolytic cleavage of the disaccharides, more than 100% was used when cellobiose and maltose were the substrates. If, however, phosphorolytic cleavage of the disaccharides, for which there is evidence, was involved, the energy from both maltose and cellobiose fermentation was used with about the same efficiency as that from glucose and xylose fermentation. The rumen fluid used was collected 24 hr after feeding, and growth of microorganisms in such samples was sufficient to account for utilization of less than 10% of the total energy becoming available during the 40-min incubation period.     

In vitro evaluation of antibacterial substances produced by bacteria isolated from different marine organisms

Bacteria from several groups of marine organisms were isolated and, using direct antibiograms, identified those that produce antibacterial substances, using a human pathogenic strain of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6538 as revealing microorganism. Bacteria which produce substances that inhibited S. aureus growth were identified through morphological, physiological and biochemical tests. Out of 290 bacteria, 54 (18.6%) inhibited the growth of S. aureus, but only 27 survived for identification. Bivalves, sponges and corals were the most represented from which 41.2, 33.3 and 29.7%, respectively, produced antibacterial substances of the isolated bacteria in each group. The marine species with highest proportions of these bacteria were the hard coral Madracis decactis (62.5%), the sponges Cliona sp. (57.1%) and the octocoral Plexaura flexuosa (50.0%). Out of the 27 strains that produced antibacterial substances, 51.8% were Aeromonas spp. and 14.8% Vibrio spp. Marine bacteria that produce antibacterial substances are abundant, most belong in the Vibrionacea group and were isolated mainly from corals and bivalve mollusks.     

First report of a lyase for cepacian, the polysaccharide produced by Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria

Bacteria belonging to the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are interesting for their involvement in pulmonary infections in patients affected by cystic fibrosis (CF) or chronic granulomatous disease. Many Bcc strains isolated from CF patients produce high amounts of exopolysaccharides (EPS). Although different strains sometimes biosynthesise different EPS, the majority of Bcc bacteria produce only one type of polysaccharide, which is called cepacian. The polymer has a unique heptasaccharidic repeating unit, containing three side chains, and up to three O-acetyl substituents.. We here report for the first time the isolation and characterisation of a lyase active towards cepacian produced by a Bacillus sp., which was isolated in our laboratory. The enzyme molecular mass, evaluated by size-exclusion chromatography, is 32,700+/-1500Da. The enzyme catalyses a beta-elimination reaction of the disaccharide side chain beta-d-Galp-(1-->2)-alpha-d-Rhap-(1--> from the C-4 of the glucuronic acid residue present in the polymer backbone. Although active on both native and de-acetylated cepacian, the enzyme showed higher activity on the latter polymer.     

Bacterivory by benthic organisms in sediment: Quantification usingN-enriched bacteria

The fate of benthic bacterial biomass in benthic food webs is a topic of major importance but poorly described. This paper describes an alternative method for evaluation of bacterial grazing rate by meiofauna and macrofauna using bacteria pre-enriched with stable isotopes. Natural bacteria from the sediment of an intertidal mudflat were cultured in a liquid medium enriched with ¹⁵NH₄Cl. Cultured bacteria contained 2.9% of ¹⁵N and were enriched sufficiently to be used as tracers during grazing experiments. Cultured bacteria presented a biovolume (0.21 μm³) and a percentage of actively respiring bacteria (10%) similar to those found in natural communities. The number of Operational Taxon Units found in cultures fluctuated between 56 and 75% of that found in natural sediment. Despite this change in community composition, the bacterial consortium used for grazing experiments exhibited characteristics of size, activity and diversity more representative of the natural community than usually noticed in many other grazing studies. The bacterial ingestion rates of three different grazers were in the range of literature values resulting from other methods: 1149 ngC ind^− 1h^− 1 for the mud snail Hydrobia ulvae, 0.027 ngC ind^− 1 h^− 1 for the nematode community, and 0.067 ngC ind^− 1 h^− 1 for the foraminifera Ammonia tepida. The alternative method described in this paper overcomes some past limitations and it presents interesting advantages such as short time incubation and in situ potential utilisation.     

Iron reduction by bacteria: range of organisms involved and metals reduced

Abstract The majority of the bacteria tested were able to reduce both ferric iron and nitrate. However, ferric iron may be reduced by bacteria which do not possess a nitrate reductase and, conversely, the possession of a nitrate reductase does not confer the ability to reduce ferric iron. A glucose-fermenting Vibrio and an anaerobic lithotroph were tested for their ability to reduce a greater variety of metals. The Vibrio reduced the wider range of metals and to a greater degree. Lithotrophic bacteria not only reduce a more restricted range of metals, they also appear not to possess the capacity of fermentative bacteria to use metals as minor electron sinks.     

假单胞菌铁载体及色素研究

假单胞菌分布广泛,种类繁多,能够产生多种结构的铁载体及具有特定颜色的色素化合物,这使假单胞菌在生物病害防治、医学研究等领域应用潜力巨大.假单胞菌铁载体具有菌种和菌株特异性,可在一定程度上作为其分类依据.假单胞菌色素具有色调、结构、功能多样性,与其铁载体在功能上具有一定重叠性.假单胞菌铁载体及色素分离纯化方法相对比较简单,但它们的生物合成及转运代谢机制非常复杂.     

An extracellular polysaccharide produced by Zoogloea ramigera 115

A weakly acidic polysaccharide was purified from the extracellular zoogloeal matrix produced by Zoogloeal ramigera 115. The purified polysaccharide was homogeneous as judged by sedimentation analysis, and the average molecular weight was estimated to be about 10(5) by gel permeation chromatography of the fully methylated preparation. The polysaccharide was composed of D-glucose, D-galactose and pyruvic acid in an approximate molar ratio 11:3:1.5. On the basis of methylation, periodate oxidation, Smith degradation and partial hydrolysis, the following highly branched structure was deduced for the polysaccharide: a long chain mainly consisting of beta 1 leads to 4-linked glucose residues branching at the C-3 or C-6 position of galactose residues which are present in beta 1 leads to 4 or beta 1 leads to 3 linkages as the minor component of the long chain; pyruvic acid residues, the sole acidic component, are linked to the nonreducing end and/or 1,3-linked glucose residues through 4,6-ketal linkages. The purified polysaccharide was not readily soluble in water and had a high affinity for several metallic ions (e.g, 0.25 mumol Fe3+/mg, and 0.17 mumol Fe2+ mg). Upon addition of metallic ions (1 mM) to a gelatinous aqueous solution of the polysaccharide (K+ form, 0.125%), more than 80% of it immediately coprecipitated out with them.