Studies on Thermoactinomyces sp. TM9208. I. Description of the strain

A strain of Thermoactinomyces sp., TM9208, isolated from a soil sample in the Taipei area showed antagonistic activity to Gram positive bacteria but not to the Gram negative on the potato extract agar plate by the cross streaking method. The strain showed strong starch hydrolysis, beta type of hemolysis, brownish yellow growth on the potato extract agar and green on the nutrient agar. Its aerial mycelium, white to grayish white, was long and straight with short branches. The spores are single and have smooth surface. It is a good utilizer of starch, maltose and cellobiose as carbon source, but utilizes dulcitol, salicin, sucrose, rhamnose and sorbitol poorly.     

瑞拉菌素产生菌S-5120菌株防治黄瓜霜霉病害的研究初报

经黄瓜霜霉病孢子萌发试验和离体叶片抑菌试验表明,瑞拉菌素产生菌S-5120菌株和瑞拉菌素均对黄瓜霜霉病有较强抑制作用。温室防病试验表明,瑞拉菌素产生菌S-5120发酵液对黄瓜霜霉病有明显的保护和治疗作用。相对保护效果达75．17％;治疗效果达69．69％,且高于农抗-120的相对防效62．65％。     

Cloning of modular type I polyketide synthase genes from salinomycin producing strain of Streptomyces albus

Cloning of polyether polyketide synthase (PKS) genes for salinomycin biosynthesis was attempted from Streptomyces albus. Seven beta-ketoacyl synthase (KS) core regions were obtained by PCR amplification using primers designed based on the conserved KS domains of type I PKSs. Using the KS fragment as a probe, screening of an S. albus genomic DNA library was carried out by colony hybridization. From the positive cosmid clone isolated, a 4.5-kbBamHI fragment was subcloned and sequenced. It showed high homology with bacterial type I PKSs and was deduced to code for KS, malonyl transferase, and ketoreductase motifs. By gene disruption with this 4.5-kb BamHI fragment, the cloned gene was shown to be a part of the salinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster of S. albus.     

Taxonomy and biotransformation activities of some deep-sea actinomycetes

Deep-sea soft sediments from trench systems and depths in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ranging from less than 300 to 10 897 m in depth have been analyzed for three target genera of actinomycetes: Micromonospora, Rhodococcus, and Streptomyces. Only culturable strains, recovered at atmospheric pressure on selective isolation media, have been examined to date. Maximum recoveries of culturable bacteria were greater that 10⁷/ml wet g sediment, but actinomycetes comprised a small proportion of this population (usually less than 1%). The target actinomycetes were isolated at all depths except from the Mariana Trench sediments. Actinomycete colonies were defined initially on the basis of colony morphologies, and preliminary identification then was made by chemotaxonomic tests. Pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) of deep-sea mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes gave excellent correspondence with numerical (phenetic) taxonomic analyses and subsequently was adopted as a rapid procedure for assessing taxonomic diversity. PyMS analysis enabled several clusters of deep-sea rhodococci to be distinguished that are quite distinct from all type strains. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis has revealed that several of these marine rhodococci have sequences that are very similar to certain terrestrial species of Rhodococcus and to Dietzia. There is evidence for the intrusion of terrestrial runoff into these deep trench systems, and the inconsistency of the phenotypic and molecular taxonomies may reflect recent speciation events in actinomycetes under the high-pressure conditions of the deep sea. The results of DNA-DNA pairing experiments point to the novelty of Rhodococcus strains recovered from hadal depths in the Izu Bonin Trench. Biotransformation studies of deep-sea bacteria have focused on nitrile compounds. Nitrile-metabolizing bacteria, closely related to rhodococci, have been isolated that grow well at low temperature, high salt concentrations, and high pressures, suggesting that they are of marine origin or have adapted to the deep-sea environment. Received: January 22, 1998 / Accepted: February 16, 1998     

利用CRISPR-Cas9系统构建新型异戊酰螺旋霉素Ⅰ产生菌

异戊酰螺旋霉素(Isovalerylspiramycin,ISP)Ⅰ是必特螺旋霉素(Bitespiramycin,BT)的一种主组分,其抗菌活性与BT相似,而且作为单一组分在质控和剂型上更具优势,目前正在进行临床前研究。原有的 ISPⅠ工程菌株经过3次基因改造,已经具有2种抗性基因,很难再进行遗传操作。前期研究利用经典同源重组的方法无法构建无抗性的ISPⅠ产生菌,文中利用CRISPR-Cas9基因编辑系统在螺旋霉素(Spiramycin,SP)产生菌中成功将3位酰基化酶的基因bsm4替换为组成型强启动子ermEp~*控制下的异戊酰基转移酶基因(Isovaleryltansferase gene,ist)。删除bsm4后突变株只能产生SPⅠ组分,外源基因ist的表达产物催化SPⅠ在其4″位进行异戊酰化修饰形成ISPⅠ。经过HPLC和质谱鉴定,阳性菌株ΔEI的发酵产物中只有ISPⅠ一种ISP组分,证实新的ISPⅠ工程菌株构建成功。ΔEI菌株不带有抗性基因,可重复利用CRISPR-Cas9系统进行基因操作来获得新的改良菌株。     

Isolation of a human T-lymphotropic virus type I strain from Australian aboriginals.

A human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) strain was isolated in a CD4+ T-lymphocyte culture established from a healthy seropositive Australian Aboriginal. This isolate, identified as HTLV-IMSHR-1, was detected by immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies, by the presence of gag-encoded protein p24 in the culture supernatant, and by cocultivation leading to infection and transformation of lymphocytes from an HTLV-I-negative donor. By using the polymerase chain reaction technique, the env gene and segments of the pol and pX regions of the proviral genome of HTLV-I(MSHR-1) were amplified and sequenced. Comparison with the envelope sequences of prototype strains revealed up to 7% divergence at the nucleotide level and 3.1 to 4.3% divergence in the predicted amino acid sequence. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Australian and Melanesian isolates are related. Differential reactivity with monoclonal antibodies suggests that gag protein p19 of HTLV-I(MSHR-1) is also divergent. The potential for antigenic divergence between the prototype HTLV-I isolates and the Austro-Melanesian variants requires further investigation, because it would have implications for serodiagnosis and vaccine development.     

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of mutants of the virginiamycin producing strain 899 and its relatedness to the type strain of Streptomyces virginiae

A representative set of 19 mutants, with a known genealogy, of the virginiamycin producing strain Streptomyces virginiae 899 was investigated phenotypically and genotypically. Colour of the aerial and substrate mycelium were very variable both among spontaneous variants and those obtained after induced mutagenesis. At genotypic level, all mutants showed nearly identical BOX patterns, not reflecting the phenotypic heterogeneity observed. More than 40 years of forced mutational pressure did not cause huge chromosomal distortions but was most likely limited to base substitutions. The species S. virginiae, including besides producers of virginiamycin the type strain and non-type strains producing other bioactive compounds, is genomically heterogeneous on the basis of BOX-PCR fingerprinting and DNA-DNA hybridizations. The virginiamycin producing strain 899 does not belong to the species S. virginiae despite its phenotypic similarity to the latter.     

Mechanical strain increases type I collagen expression in pulmonary fibroblasts in vitro.

Tissue remodeling is an adaptive response to mechanical tension in the lung. However, the role of pulmonary fibroblasts in this response has not been well characterized. This study investigates the influence of extracellular matrix on the response of fibroblasts to mechanical strain. Cells were cultured on flexible-bottom surfaces coated with fibronectin, laminin, or elastin and exposed to strain. Under these conditions, fibroblasts align perpendicular to the force vector. This stimulus results in an increase in alpha(1)(I) procollagen mRNA in cells cultured on laminin or elastin but not fibronectin. Increased alpha(1)(I) procollagen mRNA was detected 6 h after exposure to strain and reached control levels by 72 h. [(3)H]proline incorporation into newly synthesized procollagen reflects changes in mRNA levels. Strained fibroblasts cultured on laminin or elastin incorporated 190 and 114%, respectively, more [(3)H]proline into procollagen than did unstrained cells. No difference was detected in strained fibroblasts cultured on fibronectin. These results suggest that fibroblasts respond to mechanical strain in vitro, and this response is signaled by cell-extracellular matrix interactions.     

Genome of the R-body producing marine alphaproteobacterium Labrenzia alexandrii type strain (DFL-11T)

Labrenzia alexandrii Biebl et al. 2007 is a marine member of the family Rhodobacteraceae in the order Rhodobacterales, which has thus far only partially been characterized at the genome level. The bacterium is of interest because it lives in close association with the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium lusitanicum. Ultrastructural analysis reveals R-bodies within the bacterial cells, which are primarily known from obligate endosymbionts that trigger “killing traits” in ciliates (Paramecium spp.). Genomic traits of L. alexandrii DFL-11^T are in accordance with these findings, as they include the reb genes putatively involved in R-body synthesis. Analysis of the two extrachromosomal elements suggests a role in heavy-metal resistance and exopolysaccharide formation, respectively. The 5,461,856 bp long genome with its 5,071 protein-coding and 73 RNA genes consists of one chromosome and two plasmids, and has been sequenced in the context of the Marine Microbial Initiative.     

尼莫克丁产生菌的诱变育种

用紫外光对尼莫克丁产生菌进行预处理,结合在固体平板上添加一定剂量的产生菌自身代谢产物--发酵料液的复合诱变,筛选的抗性变株的效价比出发株提高70%.     

提高表柔比星质量与生产水平的研究

柔红霉素产生菌S．Coeruleorubidus经N^ 、Co^60理化诱变剂选育后,获得的高产菌株经发酵罐应用后,其发酵产率分别提高25．8％、17．6％,累计净增利润超亿元,经分离收集的活性生物精品制成表柔比星,纯度提高4％,杂质比例下降2倍以上,收率提高50％,符合最新国际权威药典标准,产品畅销世界。