Production of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates by fed-batch culture of Pseudomonas oleovorans

Pseudomonas oleovorans was cultivated to produce medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (MCL-PHAs) from octanoic acid and ammonium nitrate as carbon and nitrogen source, respectively, by a pH-stat fed-batch culture technique. The octanoate in the culture broth was maintained below 4 g l^–1 by feeding the mixture of octanoic acid and ammonium nitrate when the culture pH rose above 7.1. The final cell concentrations of 63, 55 and 9.5 g l^–1, PHA contents of 62, 75 and 67% of dry cell wt, and productivities of 1, 0.63 and 0.16 g l^–1 h^–1 were obtained when the C/N ratios in the feed were 10, 20 and 100 g octanoic acid g^–1 ammonium nitrate, respectively.     

Isolation, Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of an Aerobic Bacterium Capable of Degrading Bensulfuronmethyl

Summary An aerobic bacterium named strain BH was isolated from soil samples based on its bensulfuronmethyl-degrading characteristics using continuous enrichment cultures. The cells of the strain were non-motile, gram-positive short rods. Colonies formed on agar medium were round, smooth, sticky, white-yellow in colour and of butyrous consistency. Analyses of nutritional utilization in Biolog microplates, conventional phenotypic characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were consistent with assigning strain BH to the genus Brevibacterium. Growth of the cells and their ability to degrade bensulfuronmethyl were simultaneously monitored under different liquid medium conditions during 7 days of incubation. They degraded bensulfuronmethyl from 100 to 70.6 mg l⁻¹ in mineral M9 medium and exhibited more effective degradation in the presence of yeast extract, completely removing an initial concentration of 100 mg l⁻¹ and at best 80% of an initial concentration of 200 mg l⁻¹. Further studies are required to determine the potential use of the isolate in the disposal of bensulfuronmethyl residues in agriculture and industry.     

Isolation and Characterization of A Metal-resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Strain

Summary The use of microorganisms to remove heavy metals from industrial effluent is an area of extensive research and development. Attempts have been made to isolate and characterize metal-resistant microorganisms from treated oil mill industry effluent wastewater samples. The metal-resistant organisms that showed values of minimum inhibitory concentration towards metals (Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb) ranging from 100 to 800 ppm level were screened. A potent metal-resistant organism, isolate BC15 from the wastewater samples was tentatively identified as Pseudomonas sp. Detailed analysis of morphological, biochemical and 16S rDNA sequence of the isolate revealed that it is closely related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (94%). Pseudomonas BC15 was capable of absorbing 93% Ni, 65% Pb, 50% Cd and 30% Cr within 48 h from the medium containing 100 mg of each heavy metal per liter. The multiple metal tolerance of this strain was also associated with resistance to antibiotics such as ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, kanamycin and streptomycin.     

Isolation and characterization of a dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase mutant of Pseudomonas chlororaphis

A dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase mutant of Pseudomonas chlororaphis ATCC 17414 was isolated and characterized in this study. Initially, reductive catabolism of uracil was confirmed to be active in ATCC 17414 cells. Following chemical mutagenesis and d-cycloserine counterselection, a mutant strain unable to utilize uracil as a nitrogen source was identified. It was also unable to utilize thymine as a nitrogen source but could use either dihydrouracil or dihydrothymine as a sole source of nitrogen. Subsequently, it was determined that the mutant strain was deficient for the initial enzyme in the reductive pathway dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase. The lack of dehydrogenase activity did not seem to have an adverse effect upon the activity of the second reductive pathway enzyme dihydropyrimidinase activity. It was shown that both dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase and dihydropyrimidinase levels were affected by the nitrogen source present in the growth medium. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase and dihydropyrimidinase activities were elevated after growth on uracil, thymine, dihydrouracil or dihydrothymine as a source of nitrogen.     

Isolation and characterization of TMPD-oxidase mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Mutants showing negative oxidase-reaction have been isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa following mutagenesis with N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. These mutants were compared to the wild type cells with respect to their respiratory activities and cytochrome contents. They exhibit lower respiration rates and contain much less cytochrome c's which are responsible for their weak or negative oxidase-reaction in these mutants. This is supported in part from an initial linear relationship observed between the measured oxidase activities and the lower cytochrome c contents in these mutants. Further evidence comes from analyzing oxidase-negative cells of P. syringae, in which low cytochrome c contents similar to these oxidase mutants account for negative oxidase activities. Cytochrome o was the sole oxidase found among these mutants as well as in the wild type cell, suggesting that cytochrome c+o complex is responsible for the tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine-oxidase activity in these mutants as the case in the wild-type cells. From the spectral characteristics it seems that all mutants contain about the same amount and type of terminal oxidase as that of the wild-type cells. The mutation occurred which altered the oxidase activities in these mutants appears to affect cytochrome c gene(s), but not the terminal oxidase gene(s).Abbreviations TMPD Tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine - MD minimal Davis     

Characterization of a benzoate permease mutant of Pseudomonas putida

A spontaneous mutant of Pseudomonas putida (PRS 2017) has been isolated which is incapable of growth on benzoate, does not induce the enzymes of the catechol branch of the -ketoadipate pathway when grown in the presence of benzoate, cannot accumulate radioactively labeled benzoate, yet grows well with mandelate as sole source of carbon and energy. This strain apparently lacks a benzoate permease, which in the wild type shows a K _mof about 0.1 mM for benzoate, is inducible, and is not under the control of the regulatory system which governs the induction of the enzymes of the catechol branch of the -ketoadapate pathway. The lesion in PRS 2017 is apparently single site and maps near other genes governing benzoate dissimilation.Dedicated to R. Y. Stanier on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

乙草胺对蟾蜍心电活动的影响

采用生物机能实验系统,对乙草胺胁迫条件下蟾蜍Bufo gargarizans的心率和心电活动的相关指标进行了测定和分析.试验结果表明,随着乙草胺处理浓度的增大,蟾蜍的心率减慢,心电图中P波、R波和T波的电压峰值降低,而P-R间期、QRS期和Q-T间期的时值延长.乙草胺胁迫条件下,蟾蜍心率与心电图的各项指标有显著相关性.由此可见,乙草胺的喷施对蟾蜍心电活动周期和机械活动周期均造成了一定影响.     

Isolation and characterization of fluorescent Pseudomonas associated with the roots of rice and banana grown in Sri Lanka

Bacterial populations in different parts of the rhizosphere of rice and banana in Sri lanka were examined. On rice, the number of aerobic bacteria and the population of fluorescent bacteria were higher in the rhizoplane as compared to the exorhizosphere. However, the opposite was observed with banana. Percentage of fluorescent bacteria was significantly higher on banana (10.8%) than on rice from the wet and dry zones of Sri Lanka (4.3% and 2.7%, respectively). In the endorhizosphere fraction of rice, bacterial populations were very low. Fluorescent bacteria were absent.Based on 33 phenotypical tests, 89 fluorescent isolates were grouped into 5 clusters. The three major clusters covered the isolates belonging to the Pseudomonas fluorescens-putida group, whereas the remaining small clusters contained other UV-fluorescent bacteria. SDS-PAGE of total cell proteins enabled classification of the isolates into one of 12 different protein-polymorphic types. Only a partial correlation was found between the latter classification and the phenotypical one. Cyanogenesis was observed with strains of P. fluorescens only. Isolates P. fluorescens RW9S1 and P. cepacia RW5P1 displayed a potent antagonism against several fungi.     

Characterization of dihydropyrimidinase from Pseudomonas stutzeri

Dihydropyrimidinase from Pseudomonas stutzeri ATCC 17588 was purified 100-fold and characterized. It was found that dihydrouracil, dihydrothymine and hydantoin could serve as substrates for the partially purified enzyme. The K _m values for dihydrouracil, dihydrothymine and hydantoin were determined to be 19.6 M, 21.3 M and 36.4 M, respectively, while their respective V _max values were 0.836 mol/min, 0.666 mol/min and 2.21 mol/min. Between pH 7.5 and 9.0, enzyme activity was shown to be maximal. The optimum temperature for enzyme activity was 45 °C. Using gel filtration, the molecular weight of the enzyme was calculated to be approximately 115000 Da. Metal ions were found to influence the level of enzyme activity. Dihydropyrimidinase activity was stimulated by magnesium ions and inhibited by either zinc or copper ions.     

The white-line-in-agar test is not specific for the two cultivated mushroom associated pseudomonads, Pseudomonas tolaasii and Pseudomonas "reactans"

A sharply defined white line in vitro forms between the pathogenic form of Pseudomonas tolaasii and another Pseudomonas bacterium, referred to as "reactans". This interaction has been considered as highly specific. However, results presented in this study rise doubt about the strict specificity of this interaction, as some other pseudomonads, associated with the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus, also yielded a white line precipitate when they were streaked towards Pseudomonas tolaasii LMG 2342T. Moreover, some Finnish isolates inducing brown blotch symptoms on mushrooms like P. tolaasii(T), produced a typical white precipitate when streaked towards P. "reactans" LMG5329, even though phenotypical and genotypical features exclude these isolates from the species P. tolaasii. We propose that the white-line-in-agar (WLA) test should no longer be considered as an unequivocal diagnostic trait of P. tolaasii.     

Isolation and characterization of mutant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains unable to assimilate nitrate

Single-site mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that lack the ability aerobically to assimilate nitrate and nitrite as sole sources of nitrogen have been isolated. Twentyone of these have been subdivided into four groups by transductional analysis. Mutants in only one group, designated nis, lost assimilatory nitrite reductase activity. Mutants in the other three transductional groups, designated ntmA, ntmB, ntmC, display a pleiotropic phenotype: utilization of a number of nitrogen-containing compounds including nitrite as sole nitrogen sources is impaired. Assimilatory nitrite reductase was shown to be the major route by which hydroxylamine is reduced in aerobically-grown cells.In memoriam of Professor R. Y. Stanier     

Substrate interactions during the biodegradation of BTEX and THF mixtures by Pseudomonas oleovorans DT4

The efficient tetrahydrofuran (THF)-degrading bacterium, Pseudomonas oleovorans DT4 was used to investigate the substrate interactions during the aerobic biotransformation of THF and BTEX mixtures. Benzene and toluene could be utilized as growth substrates by DT4, whereas cometabolism of m-xylene, p-xylene and ethylbenzene occurred with THF. In binary mixtures, THF degradation was delayed by xylene, ethylbenzene, toluene and benzene in descending order of inhibitory effects. Conversely, benzene (or toluene) degradation was greatly enhanced by THF leading to a higher degradation rate of 39.68 mg/(h g dry weight) and a shorter complete degradation time about 21 h, possibly because THF acted as an “energy generator”. Additionally, the induction experiments suggested that BTEX and THF degradation was initiated by independent and inducible enzymes. The transient intermediate hydroquinone was detected in benzene biodegradation with THF while catechol in the process without THF, suggesting that P. oleovorans DT4 possessed two distinguished benzene pathways.     

Characterization of Pseudomonas corrugata Strain P94 Isolated from Soil in Beijing as a Potential Biocontrol Agent

In an attempt to obtain biologic control agents for grey mildew of tomato, a total of 628 bacterial strains were isolated from agricultural soil samples in Beijing, China, and screened for in vitro antibiosis toward Botrytis cinerea. Strain P94 exhibited the most obvious antagonistic activity. It P94 had no pathogenicity and was identified as Pseudomonas corrugata by the Biolog identification system combined with 16S rDNA sequence analysis and biochemical and physiologic characteristics. The specific products of polymerase chain reaction with two pairs of specific primers indicated that P94 belonged to P. corrugata genomic group II. Strain P94 inhibited the growth of a number of phytopathogenic fungal and bacterial species and showed inhibition activity to tomato grey mildew by tomato leaf testing in vitro. Strain P94 showed a positive reaction for HCN, protease, phosphatase, and indole acetic acid tests and a negative reaction for siderophore-, chitinase-, and cellulase-production tests. Therefore, the secondary metabolites producing novel P. corrugata strain P94 exhibited an innate potential of biocontrol activities in vitro.     

Isolation and characterisation of a strain of Pseudomonas putida that can express a periplasmic nitrate reductase

A strain of Pseudomonas putida that can express a nitrate reductase that is located in the periplasmic compartment was isolated from freshwater. The enzyme was active in vivo during arginine fermentation and at the onset of oxygen limitation in batch cultures. The activity of the enzyme increased the yield of bacteria following fermentative growth under anoxic conditions with arginine, but nitrate reduction did not support growth on nonfermentable carbon substrates under anoxic conditions. Cells expressing the periplasmic nitrate reductase were capable of reducing nitrate in the presence of oxygen. Nitrate reduction under oxic conditions was clearly coupled to a respiratory electron transport chain because: (1) the process was sensitive to the respiratory inhibitors rotenone and 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide, and (2) membrane-bound and periplasmic cytochromes were involved. This is the first report of the presence of a periplasmic nitrate reductase in a member of the proteobacteria.     

Transfer and expression of a hydrocarbon-degrading plasmid pHCL from Pseudomonas putida to marine bacteria

Transfer of a catabolic plasmid from Pseudomonas putida to indigenous marine bacteria and obligate halophilic bacteria was carried out under both in vitro and in situ conditions. The marine recipients, which could not otherwise grow on hydrocarbon substrates, were able to degrade them after the horizontal transfer of the catabolic plasmid from P. putida. Mating conducted on nutrient plates yielded comparatively more transconjugants than in broth mating under laboratory conditions (10⁶ c.f.u./ml). The transconjugants stably maintained the plasmid when they were maintained in seawater amended with selective pressure (antibiotics/Hg (25 g/l) even after 30 days, whereas under non-selective conditions they progressively lost the plasmid after 24 days. The expression of the plasmid in the marine recipients was investigated by gas chromatographic analysis. The overall objective of this study is to evolve a novel strategy for bioremediation of oil spills and the results of the present study suggest that the present approach would offer a better solution for the removal of harmful substances from the environment by avoiding serious interference with the microbial flora of the ecosystem.     

Isolation and characterization of the gene from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola encoding the phaseolotoxin-insensitive ornithine carbamoyltransferase

Summary The gene coding for the phaseolotoxin-insensitive ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCTase) fromPseudomonas syringae pv.phaseolicola has been cloned and sequenced. The gene has a deduced coding capacity for a polypeptide with a calculated M, of 36520 daltons. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of the OCTase enzymes encoded by theP. aeruginosa argF and theEscherichia coli argI andargF genes with the deduced sequence of the newly identified gene shows that 79 amino acid residues are strictly conserved in all four polypeptides; among these 7 out of 9 residues are involved in enzyme function. Of three amino acid regions that have been implicated in substrate binding or catalysis, two are strictly conserved, and the third involved in carbamoylphosphate binding differs. This correlates well with published data showing that phaseolotoxin competes for the carbamoylphosphate binding site in the phaseolotoxin-sensitive OCTases. We propose that the gene be namedargK.     

Characterization of two ornithine carbamoyltransferases from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola,the producer of phaseolotoxin

Two ornithine carbamoyltransferases (OCT 1 and OCT 2) were isolated from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola and purified by precipitation with ammonium sulfate, heat denaturation, chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and Sephadex G-200. Molecular weights of both enzymes: 110,000; optimal activity: pH 8.5 to 9.5 (OCT 1), pH 8.4 (OCT 2); apparent K _m for ornithine: 7·10^-4 (both enzymes); apparent K _m for carbamoylphosphate: 7·10^-4 (OCT 1), 2.8·10^-3 (OCT 2). Both enzymes possess only an anabolic function. OCT 1 is highly inhibited by low concentrations of phaseolotoxin and Orn-P(O)(NH₂)-NH-SO₃H, OCT 2 is insensitive to both compounds. The inhibition of OCT 1 is reversible.Non-common abbreviation PNSOrn Ornithine--P(O)(NH₂)-NH-SO₃H     

一株可高效降解羽毛的铜绿假单胞菌的分离、鉴定、产酶条件优化及其酶活研究

【目的】筛选海洋环境产角蛋白酶菌株,研究其发酵条件及酶学性质,为后续开发和利用海洋微生物降解废弃羽毛提供菌种资源和理论依据。【方法】采集广西北部湾某海鸭养殖场淤泥,用酪蛋白平板初筛和角蛋白酶活复筛获得羽毛降解效果好的菌株,并进行形态学和分子生物学鉴定;利用单因素和正交试验对菌株产酶条件进行优化,最后对酶学性质及羽毛降解产物的游离氨基酸组成进行研究。【结果】筛选到1株可高效降解羽毛的菌株,经鉴定为铜绿假单胞菌(Pseudomonas aeruginosa Gxun-7)。最佳产酶条件为：羽毛25 g/L,Zn2+0.10 g/L、初始pH 8.0、发酵温度32.5°C、发酵时间48 h,酶活力达124.03 U/mL,较优化前提高了2.3倍;酶学性质分析表明,该角蛋白酶最适作用温度和pH分别为70°C和8.0,化学试剂巯基乙醇可使酶活提高6.16倍,而苯甲基磺酰氟(PMSF)使相对酶活降至15.00%,该酶耐盐性较好(20%NaCl中相对酶活为74.29%);羽毛降解产物中检测到16种氨基酸,7种为必需氨基酸,总的游离氨基酸含量高达2 329.80 mg/L,其中缬氨酸含量最高为575....     

Characterization of a pyoverdine-deficient mutant of Pseudomonas fluorescens impaired in the secretion of extracellular lipase

A mutant of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain B52 deficient in the synthesis of the fluorescent pigment, pyoverdine, was isolated. Absence of pyoverdine and other siderophores was confirmed by gel filtration, a specific siderophore assay, and inhibition studies with the iron chelator EDDA. Both parent and mutant synthesized additional outer membrane proteins in response to iron-limitation. Mutant cells cultured in the absence of iron(III) accumulated ⁵⁵Fe-labeled pyoverdine. The mutant produced extracellular proteinase normally on various media, but was deficient in lipase secretion. Growth of the mutant with partially-purified pyoverdine resulted in a 2.5-fold stimulation of lipase secretion. The mutant grew poorly in deferrated medium; however, the addition of iron(III) stimulated growth. Proteinase secretion in deferrated medium was stimulated over a narrow range of iron(III) concentration, while lipase secretion was only slightly affected. The data suggest that separate regulatory mechanisms exist for the control of proteinase and lipase secretion by iron(III).Contribution No. 768 from the Food Research Centre