Sex pheromones and plasmid transfer in Enterococcus faecalis

Plasmid-free Enterococcus faecalis excrete peptides (sex pheromones) which specifically induce a mating response in strains harboring certain conjugative plasmids. The response is characterized by the synthesis of a "fuzzy" surface material, visible by electron microscopy, which is believed to facilitate the aggregation of donors and recipients. Transconjugants which receive a specific plasmid shut down the production of endogenous pheromone; however, they continue to produce pheromones specific for donors harboring different classes of plasmids. In this review, we summarize what is known about the biochemistry and genetics of this phenomenon. Some emphasis is given to the hemolysin plasmid pAD1 and the regulation of its conjugal transfer.     

High efficiency introduction of plasmid DNA into glycine treated Enterococcus faecalis by electroporation

Summary A highly efficient electroporation system for Enterococcus faecalis was developed by systematically optimizing different parameters. One parameter found to be particularly critical for electroporation was cultivation of E. faecalis in medium containing a high glycine concentration, prior to electroporation. Osmotic stabilization of cells with 0.5 M sucrose was also found to be critical during glycine treatment. 10⁶ transformants per microgram of plasmid DNA were consistently obtained within 48 h. Electrocompetent preparations of E. faecalis could be stored at –70° C without loss of competence.     

粪肠球菌MG 2108对小鼠结肠炎症的缓解作用及机制研究

【目的】为了筛选能抑制鼠类柠檬酸杆菌(Citrobacter rodentium)诱发的小鼠结肠炎的益生菌,并研究其干预机制。【方法】对4株筛选的菌株进行人工模拟胃肠液耐受试验,并体外测试它们对鼠类柠檬酸杆菌的抑制能力,最终筛选出粪肠球菌(Enterococcus faecalis)MG 2108。72只雄性7周龄ICR小鼠经过适应性饲养7d后,被随机分为2组：正常对照组(MC组,24只,生理盐水)和炎症对照组(IC组,48只,1×10¹⁰CFU/mL灌胃鼠类柠檬酸杆菌),7d后各采12只小鼠,通过结肠组织HE染色和炎症因子检测实验,判断炎症模型建成。原MC组(剩下12只小鼠)更名为NC组,用以区别建模前后的正常对照组,IC组随机分成3组：自然恢复组(IR组,12只,生理盐水)、环丙沙星组(CF组,12只,4mg/mL环丙沙星)和粪肠球菌MG 2108组(EF组,12只,1×10⁸CFU/mL粪肠球菌MG 2108)。18d后结束灌胃,所有小鼠麻醉后眼球取血,解剖。【结果】粪肠球菌MG 2108可以缓解和修复鼠类柠檬酸杆菌引发的小鼠结肠和肝脏损伤,并且通过降低炎症细胞因子的表达水平和增加紧密连接蛋白的表达水平,促进了结肠炎症组织的修复。它改变了肠道微生物菌群结构,EF组的肠杆菌属(Enterorhabdus)和阿克曼菌属(Akkermansia)等有益菌群的丰度增加,同时短链脂肪酸也显著增加(P<0.05),并且优于CF组和IR组。【结论】粪肠球菌MG2108是一株有利于肠道健康的益生菌,治疗鼠类柠檬酸杆菌诱导的小鼠结肠炎效果优于环丙沙星,自然恢复组效果明显差于EF组。     

The conjugative transposon Tn925: enhancement of conjugal transfer by tetracycline in Enterococcus faecalis and mobilization of chromosomal genes in Bacillus subtilis and E. faecalis

Summary The effects of tetracycline on transfer of the conjugative, tetracycline-resistance transposon, Tn925, as well as the ability of the transposon to promote the transfer of chromosomal genes was examined in Enterococcus faecalis and Bacillus subtilis. To test for chromosomal transfer, multiply-marked strains of each organism, each carrying a single chromosomal copy of Tn925, were mated on filters with suitable recipient strains, under conditions where transformation and transduction were precluded. In both cases, transfer of a variety of chromosomal genes, at frequencies comparable to the frequency of Tn925 transfer, was detected readily. The presence of Tn925 in one of the members of the mating pair was absolutely required for chromosomal transfer, but transfer of Tn925 did not accompany every chromosomal transfer event. The results were consistent with a mating event resembling a type of cell fusion, allowing for extensive recombination between the genomes of the mating partners. Growth of Tn925-containing donor cells in the presence of tetracycline increased the transfer frequency of Tn925 by about tenfold in E. faecalis, but not in B. subtilis.Deceased, 7/89. O. Torres and R. Korman contributed equally to this work     

Direct stimulation of the transfer of antibiotic resistance by sex pheromones in Streptococcus faecalis

Clinical isolates of Streptococcus faecalis were examined for plasmid content and plasmid-related traits in order to determine whether such strains carried conjugative antibiotic resistance plasmids whose transfer was stimulated by sex pheromones. A 35-Mdalton tetracycline-resistance plasmid called pCF-10 was identified. pCF-10 carries genes that enable its host cell to clump and to act as a highly effective donor when exposed to sex pheromone preparations from recipients. The genetic background of the host cell markedly affects the expression of the pCF-10 fertility functions. The properties of this plasmid make it a good candidate for a detailed genetic analysis of streptococcal conjugation.     

Degradation of tannic acid and purification and characterization of tannase from Enterococcus faecalis

Tannins, present in various foods, feeds and forages, have anti-nutritional activity; however, presence of tannase in microorganisms inhabiting rumen and gastrointestinal tract of animals results in detoxification of these tannins. The present investigation was carried out to study the degradation profile of tannins by Enterococcus faecalis and to purify tannase. E. faecalis was observed to degrade tannic acid (1.0% in minimal media) to gallic acid, pyrogallol and resorcinol. Tannase from E. faecalis was purified up to 18.7 folds, with a recovery of 41.7%, using ammonium sulphate precipitation, followed by DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-150. The 45 kDa protein had an optimum activity at 40 °C and pH 6.0 at substrate concentration of 0.25 mM methyl gallate.     

Enterococcus faecalis can be distinguished from Enterococcus faecium via differential susceptibility to antibiotics and growth and fermentation characteristics on mannitol salt agar

Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are both human intestinal colonizers frequently used in medical bacteriology teaching laboratories in order to train students in bacterial identification....     

Sequence of the 50-kb Conjugative Multiresistance Plasmid pRE25 from Enterococcus faecalis RE25

The complete 50,237-bp DNA sequence of the conjugative and mobilizing multiresistance plasmid pRE25 from Enterococcus faecalis RE25 was determined. The plasmid had 58 putative open reading frames, 5 of which encode resistance to 12 antimicrobials. Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and the 23S RNA methylase are identical to gene products of the broad-host-range plasmid pIP501 from Streptococcus agalactiae. In addition, a 30.5-kb segment is almost identical to pIP501. Genes encoding an aminoglycoside 6-adenylyltransferase, a streptothricin acetyltransferase, and an aminoglycoside phosphotransferase are arranged in tandem on a 7.4-kb fragment as previously reported in Tn5405 from Staphylococcus aureus and in pJH1 from E. faecalis. One interrupted and five complete IS elements as well as three replication genes were also identified. pRE25 was transferred by conjugation to E. faecalis, Listeria innocua, and Lactococcus lactis by means of a transfer region that appears similar to that of pIP501. It is concluded that pRE25 may contribute to the further spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms via food into the human community.     

Sex pheromones in the cereal aphid parasitoidsPraon volucre andAphidius rhopalosiphi

Laboratory and field experiments provided evidence for the release of sex pheromones by virgin femalePraon volucre Haliday andAphidius rhopalosiphi De Stefani-Perez (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Aphidiinae). In Petri dish biosassays, rubber or vermiculite models treated with crude virgin female extracts were frequently approached by males and elicited rapid wing-fanning behaviour and copulation attempts. Delta-shaped water traps containing live virgin females caught large numbers of conspecific males when placed in winter wheat crops. Trapping slightly below crop height resulted in higher catches than trapping above the crop canopy.     

基于全基因组关联分析研究粪肠球菌发酵食品分离株的耐药性

【目的】研究15株分离自自然发酵食品的粪肠球菌(Enterococcus faecalis)和1株粪肠球菌模式株对15种(1种β-内酰胺类和14种非β-内酰胺类)抗生素的耐药性,并通过菌株耐药表型与基因型的关联分析找到粪肠球菌潜在的耐药基因。【方法】利用微量肉汤稀释法检测试验菌株对15种抗生素的耐药性,运用Scoary软件进行表型与基因型的关联分析。【结果】16株粪肠球菌对卡那霉素、万古霉素、利奈唑胺和红霉素100%敏感;对其余11种抗生素均表现出不同程度的耐药,其中对克林霉素为100%耐药。基因组关联分析发现了9个功能基因与5种抗生素(氯霉素、环丙沙星、甲氧苄啶、新霉素和四环素)存在显著相关关系,其中基因FAM000296和FAM005768与氯霉素、甲氧苄啶和环丙沙星的耐药性有关。进一步分析发现基因FAM000296和FAM005768同被注释为Sec G,但基因FAM005768与基因FAM000296相比在3′端丢失了21个碱基。【结论】分离自自然发酵食品的粪肠球菌对多种抗生素具有耐药性,其基因组中携带有潜在的耐药基因。因此,对分离自自然发酵食品的粪肠球菌需要进行全面的安全性评估后方可考虑应用。     

Asparagine transport in Lactobacillus plantarum and Streptococcus faecalis

The properties of het asparagine transport systems in Lactobacillus plantarum and Streptococcus faecalis are described. In both organisms the uptake of isotopically labeled l-asparagine was markedly stimulated by glucose. Kinetic studies yielded curvilinear Lineweaver-Burk plots in both organisms. These data were most consistently accounted for in both organisms by assuming the operation of two catalytic uptake components in addition to a diffusion component. The occasional limitation of kinetic studies in distinguishing between single or multiple catalytic components is illustrated. A large selection of structurally related amino acids and other substances were tested as competitors in initial rate studies. In L. plantarum the most effective competitors. structurally related dicarboxylic acid amide derivatives were only moderately effective competitors. In contrast, the most effective competitors of l-arparagine uptake in S. faecalis were relatively small neutral amino acids such as l-alanine, l-serine. l-αaminobutyric acid, l-cysteine and l-methionine, suggesting that asparagine enters this organism by reaction with a catalyst having relatively unspecific structural discrimination among neutral amino acids. Both organisms rapidly converted a large proportion of the transported asparagine to aspartic acid. In S. faecalis, the deamidation of l-asparagine was shown to be relatively insensitive to inhibition by those amino acids which were most effective in reducing the asparagine entry rate.     

Control of Enterococcus faecalis sex pheromone cAD1 elaboration: Effects of culture aeration and pAD1 plasmid-encoded determinants

Aeration of plasmid-free Enterococcus faecalis strains resulted in an 8- to 16-fold decrease in sex pheromone cAD1 activity in culture filtrates. Levels of two unrelated pheromones, cPD1 and cAM373, were unaffected by culture aeration. Aeration also resulted in a decrease in the expression of conjugative transfer functions observed in cells containing pAD1 traB mutations, verifying a link between traB function and pheromone “shutdown.” Tests with a series of pAD1 mini-plasmids indicated that the product of the traB gene was involved in, but not sufficient for, pheromone shutdown; the cooperation of one or more other gene products encoded within the pheromone response control region was required.     

Characterization of a region of the Enterococcus faecalis plasmid pAMβ1 which enhances the segregational stability of pAMβ1-derived cloning vectors in Bacillus subtilis

The nucleotide sequence of a 2.13-kb EcoRI-HindIII, pAMβ1-derived fragment, isolated from the gram-positive cloning vector pHV1431, has been determined and shown to encode two ORFs. ORF H encodes for a protein of 23,930 Da which exhibits substantial homology to bacterial site-specific recombinases, particularly the resolvases of the gram-positive transposons Tn917 (30.3% identity) and Tn552 (31.6% identity) and the clostridial plasmid pIP404 (27.1% identity). The second ORF (I) is incomplete and encodes a polypeptide which has significant homology with Escherichia coli topoisomerase I (26.0% identity). Insertion of either the entire 2.13-kb EcoRI-HindIII fragment or a 0.73-kb EcoRI-DraI subfragment encoding only the resolvase into the pAMβ1-based cloning vector pMTL500E causes a significant enhancement of segregational stability (from 6.5 × 10⁻² to 3.0–4.0 × 10⁻³ plasmid loss per cell per generation). Improved segregational stability is mirrored by a reduction in plasmid polymerization. The introduction of a stop codon into the resolvase coding region negates its ability to promote segregational stability. It is proposed that the identified determinant stabilizes pAMβ1-based vectors in Bacillus subtilis by maintaining the plasmid population in the monomeric state, thereby reducing the chances of producing plasmid-free segregants.     

Comparative genomic analysis reveals significant enrichment of mobile genetic elements and genes encoding surface structure-proteins in hospital-associated clonal complex 2 Enterococcus faecalis

Background  

Enterococci rank among the leading causes of nosocomial infections. The failure to identify pathogen-specific genes in Enterococcus faecalis has led to a hypothesis where the virulence of different strains may be linked to strain-specific genes, and where the combined endeavor of the different gene-sets result in the ability to cause infection. Population structure studies by multilocus sequence typing have defined distinct clonal complexes (CC) of E. faecalis enriched in hospitalized patients (CC2, CC9, CC28 and CC40).     

Identification of regions of the Streptococcus faecalis plasmid pCF-10 that encode antibiotic resistance and pheromone response functions

The conjugative plasmid pCF-10 (58 kb) of Streptococcus faecalis has been mapped with restriction enzymes. By restriction mapping and Southern hybridization analysis, a 16-kb segment of the plasmid was shown to resemble closely the conjugative tetracycline resistance transposon, Tn916. Mutagenesis of the plasmid with the erythromycin resistance transposon Tn917 was used to localize a tetracycline resistance determinant and several regions involved in conjugal transfer. Fifty Tn917 insertions (outside the region of the plasmid homologous to Tn916) affecting mating behavior and the ability of donor cells to respond to the sex pheromone cCF-10 were mapped to nine distinct segments, or tra regions. Insertions into tra regions 1-3 and 7-9 led to an enhanced transfer ability of mutant plasmids relative to the transfer frequency obtained for the wild-type plasmid. Cells carrying these mutant plasmids differed in colony morphology or growth in broth culture from cells carrying pCF-10. Insertions into tra regions 4-6 resulted in reduced plasmid transfer, or completely eliminated the mating potential of donor cells. Insertions generating transfer-defective plasmids could be grouped further according to the ability of strains harboring the mutant plasmids to respond to cCF-10. HindIII fragments of pCF-10 coding for transfer functions have been cloned into Escherichia coli.     

粪产碱杆菌的分离鉴定及其生物转化作用

【背景】硫化氢(H2S)作为畜牧生产过程中释放的一种有毒有害气体,严重危害畜禽和人类的健康,因此降解硫化氢特别是生物氧化法转化硫化氢已成为当前研究热点。【目的】筛选高效硫氧化菌株并研究其生物转化作用。【方法】以长春市某养鸡场采集的新鲜粪便为材料,分离鉴定硫氧化菌株。采用单因素分析法优化其生长条件,研究生物转化效率,检测soxY、soxZ基因m RNA表达水平。【结果】获得一株高效硫氧化菌株JF9,经鉴定为粪产碱杆菌。最佳生长条件:底物浓度0.5 g/L,温度35°C,初始pH 7.0,在此条件下Na2S去除率达94%以上。菌株JF9存在soxY和soxZ基因,其转录水平在硫源诱导前后差异显著(P0.05)。【结论】分离得到的粪产碱杆菌具有良好的硫化物转化能力,脱硫过程中硫氧化基因高效表达。