Acinetobacter spp.: distinct morphology on eosin methylene blue agar as an aid to identification in drinking water

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, frequently found in drinking waters and implicated in nosocomial infections, was presumptively identified by its tiny, blue colonial appearance on Levine eosin methylene blue agar. All of the 33 isolates from drinking water showing this distinctive colonial appearance were identified as A. calcoaceticus.     

Genetic analysis of supraoperonic clustering by use of natural transformation in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

DNA within Escherichia coli colonies carrying cloned Acinetobacter calcoaceticus genes transforms mutant A. calocaceticus cells with high efficiency. Therefore, E. coli colonies containing such cloned genes can be identified by replica plating onto a lawn of A. calcoaceticus mutant cells. Transformation of A. calcoaceticus also facilitates gap repair and thus allows recovery of specified chromosomal segments in recombinant plasmids. These procedures were used to demonstrate the clustering of A. calcoaceticus genes required for utilization of p-hydroxybenzoate. Chromosomal linkage of the bacterial genes, contained in different operons separated by about 10 kbp of DNA, may have been selected on the basis of their physiological interdependence.     

The effects of metabolite molecules produced by drinking water-isolated bacteria on their single and multispecies biofilms

The elucidation of the mechanisms by which diverse species survive and interact in drinking water (DW) biofilm communities may allow the identification of new biofilm control strategies. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of metabolite molecules produced by bacteria isolated from DW on biofilm formation. Six opportunistic bacteria, viz. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Burkholderia cepacia, Methylobacterium sp., Mycobacterium mucogenicum, Sphingomonas capsulata and Staphylococcus sp. isolated from a drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) were used to form single and multispecies biofilms in the presence and absence of crude cell-free supernatants produced by the partner bacteria. Biofilms were characterized in terms of mass and metabolic activity. Additionally, several physiological aspects regulating interspecies interactions (sessile growth rates, antimicrobial activity of cell-free supernatants, and production of iron chelators) were studied to identify bacterial species with biocontrol potential in DWDS. Biofilms of Methylobacterium sp. had the highest growth rate and M. mucogenicum biofilms the lowest. Only B. cepacia was able to produce extracellular iron-chelating molecules. A. calcoaceticus, B. cepacia, Methylobacterium sp. and M. mucogenicum biofilms were strongly inhibited by crude cell-free supernatants from the other bacteria. The crude cell-free supernatants of M. mucogenicum and S. capsulata demonstrated a high potential for inhibiting the growth of counterpart biofilms. Multispecies biofilm formation was strongly inhibited in the absence of A. calcoaceticus. Only crude cell-free supernatants produced by B. cepacia and A. calcoaceticus had no inhibitory effects on multispecies biofilm formation, while metabolite molecules of M. mucogenicum showed the most significant biocontrol potential.     

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 1-carboxyvinyl-transferase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

Abstract We have analyzed the sequence downstream of rpoN from Zcinetobacter calcoaceticus and identified an open reading frame encoding a protein with high similarity to UDP- N -acetylgucosamine 1-carboxyvinyl-transferase (MurZ). Multicopy plasmids encoding this enzyme conferred phosphomycin resistance to A. calcoaceticus . The polar effect of a rpoN mutation on the phosphomycin resistance level suggests that murZ is, in part, cotranscribed with rpoN . These observations confirm that A. calcoaceticus represents the first exceptin from a conserved genetic context of rpoN observed in several other Gram-negative bacteria.     

Bacteria of the genus Acinetobacter in the marine environment and in hydrobiontic mollusks

The study of Acinetobacter bacteria in sea water and in aquatic molluscs of the southern climatic zone has revealed ecological differences in the species A. calcoaceticus and A. lwoffi and the appearance of the ecological niche for Acinetobacter in molluscs.     

Biofilm interactions between distinct bacterial genera isolated from drinking water

In the environment, multiple microorganisms coexist as communities, competing for resources and often associated as biofilms. In this study, single- and dual-species biofilm formation by, and specific activities of, six heterotrophic intergeneric bacteria were determined using 96-well polystyrene plates over a 72-h period. These bacteria were isolated from drinking water and identified by partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A series of planktonic studies was also performed, assessing the bacterial growth rate, motility, and production of quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSI). This constituted an attempt to identify key attributes allowing bacteria to effectively interact and coexist in a drinking-water environment. We observed that in both pure and dual cultures, all of the isolates formed stable biofilms within 72 h, with specific metabolic activity decreasing, in most cases, with an increase in biofilm mass. The largest single- and dual-biofilm amounts were found for Methylobacterium sp. and the combination of Methylobacterium sp. and Mycobacterium mucogenicum, respectively. Evidences of microbial interactions in dual-biofilm formation, associated with appreciable biomass variation in comparison with single biofilms, were found for the following cases: synergy/cooperation between Sphingomonas capsulata and Burkholderia cepacia, S. capsulata and Staphylococcus sp., and B. cepacia and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and antagonism between S. capsulata and M. mucogenicum, S. capsulata and A. calcoaceticus, and M. mucogenicum and Staphylococcus sp. A neutral interaction was found for Methylobacterium sp.-M. mucogenicum, S. capsulata-Staphylococcus sp., M. mucogenicum-A. calcoaceticus, and Methylobacterium sp.-A. calcoaceticus biofilms, since the resultant dual biofilms had a mass and specific metabolic activity similar to the average for each single biofilm. B. cepacia had the highest growth rate and motility and produced QSI. Other bacteria producing QSI were Methylobacterium sp., S. capsulata, and Staphylococcus sp. However, only for S. capsulata-M. mucogenicum, S. capsulata-A. calcoaceticus, and M. mucogenicum-Staphylococcus sp., dual-biofilm formation seems to be regulated by the QSI produced by S. capsulata and Staphylococcus sp. and by the increased growth rate of S. capsulata. The parameters assessed by planktonic studies did not allow prediction and generalization of the exact mechanism regulating dual-species biofilm formation between the drinking-water bacteria.     

Molecular cloning, nucleotide sequence, and promoter structure of the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus trpFB operon.

The trpFB operon from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus encoding the phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase and the beta-subunit of tryptophan synthase has been cloned by complementation of a trpB mutation in A. calcoaceticus, identified by deletion analysis, and sequenced. It encodes potential polypeptides of 214 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 23,008 (TrpF) and 403 amino acids with a molecular weight of 44,296 (TrpB). The encoded TrpB sequence shows striking homologies to those from other bacteria, ranging from 47% amino acids identity with the Brevibacterium lactofermentum protein and 64% identity with the Caulobacter crescentus protein. The encoded TrpF sequence, on the other hand, is much less homologous to the ones from other species, ranging between 27% identity with the Bacillus subtilis enzyme and 36% identity with the C. crescentus enzyme. The homologies of both polypeptides are evenly distributed over the entire sequences. The codon usage shows the strong preference for A and T in the third positions typical for A. calcoaceticus genes. The trpFB operon appears to be unlinked to trpA. The trpFB promoter has been determined by primer extension analysis of RNA synthesized from the chromosomally and plasmid-encoded trpFB operons. The starting nucleotides are identical in both cases and define the first promoter from A. calcoaceticus. Potential regulatory features are implied by a palindromic element overlapping the -35 consensus box of the promoter.     

Natural transformation and availability of transforming DNA to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus in soil microcosms.

A small microcosm, based on optimized in vitro transformation conditions, was used to study the ecological factors affecting the transformation of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413 in soil. The transforming DNA used was A. calcoaceticus homologous chromosomal DNA with an inserted gene cassette containing a kanamycin resistance gene, nptII. The effects of soil type (silt loam or loamy sand), bacterial cell density, time of residence of A. calcoaceticus or of DNA in soil before transformation, transformation period, and nutrient input were investigated. There were clear inhibitory effects of the soil matrix on transformation and DNA availability. A. calcoaceticus cells reached stationary phase and lost the ability to be transformed shortly after introduction into sterile soil. The use of an initially small number of A. calcoaceticus cells and nutrients, resulting in bacterial growth, enhanced transformation frequencies within a limited period. The availability of introduced DNA for transformation of A. calcoaceticus cells disappeared within a few hours in soil. Differences in transformation frequencies between soils were found; A. calcoaceticus cells were transformed at a higher rate and for a longer period in a silt loam than in a loamy sand. Physical separation of DNA and A. calcoaceticus cells had a negative effect on transformation. Transformation was also detected in nonsterile soil microcosms, albeit only in the presence of added nutrients and at a reduced frequency. These results suggest that chromosomal DNA released into soil rapidly becomes unavailable for transformation of A. calcoaceticus. In addition, strain BD413 quickly loses the ability to receive, stabilize, and/or express exogenous DNA after introduction into soil.     

Cloning and expression of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus catBCDE genes in Pseudomonas putida and Escherichia coli.

This report describes the isolation and preliminary characterization of a 5.0-kilobase-pair (kbp) EcoRI DNA restriction fragment carrying the catBCDE genes from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. The respective genes encode enzymes that catalyze four consecutive reactions in the catechol branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway: catB, muconate lactonizing enzyme (EC 5.5.1.1); catC, muconolactone isomerase (EC 5.3.3.4); catD, beta-ketoadipate enol-lactone hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.24); and catE, beta-ketoadipate succinyl-coenzyme A transferase (EC 2.8.3.6). In A. calcoaceticus, pcaDE genes encode products with the same enzyme activities as those encoded by the respective catDE genes. In Pseudomonas putida, the requirements for both catDE and pcaDE genes are met by a single set of genes, designated pcaDE. A P. putida mutant with a dysfunctional pcaE gene was used to select a recombinant pKT230 plasmid carrying the 5.0-kbp EcoRI restriction fragment containing the A. calcoaceticus catE structural gene. The recombinant plasmid, pAN1, complemented P. putida mutants with lesions in catB, catC, pcaD, and pcaE genes; the complemented activities were expressed constitutively in the recombinant P. putida strains. After introduction into Escherichia coli, the pAN1 plasmid expressed the activities constitutively but at much lower levels that those found in the P. putida transformants or in fully induced cultures of A. calcoaceticus or P. putida. When placed under the control of a lac promoter on a recombinant pUC13 plasmid in E. coli, the A. calcoaceticus restriction fragment expressed catBCDE activities at levels severalfold higher than those found in fully induced cultures of A. calcoaceticus. Thus there is no translational barrier to expression of the A. calcoaceticus genes at high levels in E. coli. The genetic origin of the cloned catBCDE genes was demonstrated by the fact that the 5.0-kbp EcoRI restriction fragment hybridized with a corresponding fragment from wild-type A. calcoaceticus DNA. This fragment was missing in DNA from an A. calcoaceticus mutant in which the cat genes had been removed by deletion. The properties of the cloned fragment demonstrate physical linkage of the catBCDE genes and suggest that they are coordinately transcribed.     

山梨糖脱氢酶在乙酸钙不动杆菌中的表达

目的:在乙酸钙不动杆菌Y2004中表达山梨糖脱氢酶。方法:将酮古龙酸菌山梨糖脱氢酶基因sdh以及从pWH1266质粒上扩增的复制原点ori先后酶切连接到pBBR1MCS2质粒上,构建pBBR1MCS2-ori-sdh穿梭质粒;再以pBBR1MCS2-ori-sdh/DH5α为供体菌、乙酸钙不动杆菌Y2004为受体菌、pRK2013/HB101为辅助菌进行三亲本接合转移;从氨苄青霉素和卡那霉素双抗平板上挑取转化子进行培养,通过菌落PCR和提取质粒复转筛选阳性克隆,再通过活性电泳和体外糖酸转化实验检测阳性克隆的山梨糖脱氢酶活性。结果:构建了pBBRMCS2-ori-sdh质粒并转入乙酸钙不动杆菌Y2004中,活性电泳和体外实验证实阳性克隆具有山梨糖脱氢酶活性。结论:实现了山梨糖脱氢酶在乙酸钙不动杆菌Y2004中的表达,为单菌糖酸转化的进一步研究奠定了基础。     

Metabolism of monofluorobenzoates by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus N.C.I.B. 8250. Formation of monofluorocatechols.

None of the monofluorobenzoates serves as sole source of carbon and energy for growth of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus but all can contribute to growth on other substrates. The monofluorobenzoates are oxidised by bacteria pre-induced for benzoate oxidation and can themselves induce the appropriate enzymes. The initial products of oxidation have been separated and identified by gas-liquid chromatography. 2-Flurobenzoate is oxidised to catechol, fluoride and 3-fluorocatechol; 3-fluorobenzoate gives 3- and 4-fluorocatechol; 4-fluorobenzoate gives 4-fluorocatechol. The fluorocatechols appear to be partially oxidised beyond the stage of 3-oxoadipate by suitably pre-induced bacteria.     

Meningitis with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus in cerebrospinal fluid. A case report

A case of meningitis due to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus occurred after neurosurgery. The cerebrospinal fluid cytology showed intracellular diplococci that strongly resembled Neisseria meningitidis. However, subsequent bacteriologic studies revealed a bacterium identical to A. calcoaceticus. It is of practical importance for cytology laboratories to recognize this diplococcal form of organism.     

Cloning of the gene encoding quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus: evidence for the presence of a second enzyme.

We cloned the gene coding for the quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. This clone complements gdh mutations in A. calcoaceticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. The gene codes for a protein with an Mr of 83,000. Evidence is presented for the presence of two different glucose dehydrogenase enzymes in A. calcoaceticus: a protein with an Mr of 83,000 and a dimer of two identical subunits with an Mr of 50,000.     

Cloning and expression of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus catechol 1,2-dioxygenase structural gene catA in Escherichia coli.

Catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (EC 1.13.1.1), the product of the catA gene, catalyzes the first step in catechol utilization via the beta-ketoadipate pathway. Enzymes mediating subsequent steps in the pathway are encoded by the catBCDE genes which are carried on a 5-kilobase-pair (kbp) EcoRI restriction fragment isolated from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. This DNA was used as a probe to identify Escherichia coli colonies carrying recombinant pUC19 plasmids with overlapping sequences. Repetition of the procedure yielded an A. calcoaceticus 6.7-kbp EcoRI restriction fragment which contained the catA gene and bordered the original 5-kbp EcoRI restriction fragment. When the catA-containing fragment was placed under the control of the lac promoter on pUC19 and induced with isopropylthiogalactopyranoside, catechol dioxygenase was formed in E. coli at twice the level found in fully induced cultures of A. calcoaceticus. A. calcoaceticus strains with mutations in the catA gene were transformed to wild type by DNA from lysates of E. coli strains carrying the catA gene on recombinant plasmids. Thus, A. calcoaceticus strains with a mutated gene can be used in a transformation assay to identify E. coli clones in which at least part of the wild-type gene is present but not necessarily expressed.     

Cloning of the genes involved in synthesis of coenzyme pyrrolo-quinoline-quinone from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

Mutants of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus LMD79.41 were isolated that are defective in the synthesis of the coenzyme pyrrolo-quinoline-quinone (PQQ). A gene bank of the wild-type. A. calcoaceticus genome was constructed with the binary plasmid system pLV21-RP4 delta Km. The DNA of A. calcoaceticus LMD79.41 was partially digested with Sau3A, and fragments of about 15 kilobases were inserted into the BamHI site of pLV21. The hybrid plasmids maintained in Escherichia coli were transferred by conjugation to the PQQ- mutants of A. calcoaceticus. One hybrid plasmid was isolated that complements all isolated PQQ- mutants. Subcloning of this plasmid in the vector pRK290 resulted in an insert of 5 kilobases on which at least four different genes involved in PQQ synthesis could be indicated. With Tn5 insertions the four PQQ genes were mapped, and it was shown that these genes are most probably located in three operons.     

Phosphorylation of Acinetobacter isocitrate lyase.

During growth on succinate, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus contains two forms of the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase. Addition of acetate to a lag-phase culture grown on succinate causes a dramatic increase in activity of form II of isocitrate dehydrogenase and in isocitrate lyase. Form II of isocitrate dehydrogenase may be responsible for the partition of isocitrate between the TCA cycle and the glyoxylate by-pass. This report describes the phosphorylation of the enzyme isocitrate lyase from A. calcoaceticus. This phosphorylation may be a regulatory mechanism for the glyoxylate by-pass.     

Comparison of mandelate dehydrogenases from various strains of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus: similarity of natural and 'evolved' forms

In previous work it had been shown that Acinetobacter calcoaceticus wild-type strain NCIB 8250 had only an L-mandelate deydrogenase but it could give rise to mutants that contained an evolved D-mandelate dehydrogenase; conversely, wild-type strain EBF 65/65 had only a D-mandelate dehydrogenase but gave rise to mutants that possessed an evolved L-mandelate dehydrogenase. Several other wild-type strains of A. calcoaceticus have now been shown to grow on both enantiomers of mandelate. In every case the L-mandelate dehydrogenases were found to be much more heat-stable and insensitive to inhibition by p-chloromercuribenzoate than were the D-mandelate dehydrogenases when measured in bacterial extracts. All the D-mandelate dehydrogenases in the wild-type strains were inactivated to about the same extent by an antiserum that had been raised in a rabbit against an evolved D-mandelate dehydrogenase. An evolved D-mandelate deydrogenase (from a mutant strain derived from strain NCIB 8250) and an original D-mandelate dehydrogenase (from a mutant strain derived from strain EBF 65/65) were purified to homogeneity by the same procedure and were indistinguishable as judged by immunological cross-reactivity of the native and the sodium-dodecyl-sulphate-denatured enzymes, solubility in cholate, net charge at pH 7.5, pI value, salting-out properties, Mr value, apparent K(m) value for D-mandelate, heat-stability and sensitivity to p-chloromercuribenzoate. The most likely explanation for the appearance of evolved mandelate dehydrogenases in strains of A. calcoaceticus is that cryptic genes become expressed.     

Purification and characterization of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus isocitrate lyase.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus is capable of growing on acetate or compounds that are metabolized to acetate. During adaptation to growth on acetate, A. calcoaceticus B4 exhibits an increase in NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase and isocitrate lyase activities. In contrast, during adaptation to growth on acetate, Escherichia coli exhibits a decrease in NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase activity that is caused by reversible phosphorylation of specific serine residues on this enzyme. Also, in E. coli, isocitrate lyase is believed to be active only in the phosphorylated form. This phosphorylation of isocitrate lyase may regulate entry of isocitrate into the glyoxylate bypass. To understand the relationships between these two isocitrate-metabolizing enzymes and the metabolism of acetate in A. calcoaceticus B4 better, we have purified isocitrate lyase to homogeneity. Physical and kinetic characterization of the enzyme as well as the inhibitor specificity and divalent cation requirement have been examined.     

Bacteria of the genus Acinetobacter. Their systematics and ecological analysis

The content of A. lwoffi and A. calcoaceticus in water and sewage has been determined. A considerable prevalence of A. lwoffi in both objects has been revealed. The most definite results have been obtained with the use of selective media: ethanol-ammonium medium and Baumann's modified nitrate-acetate medium. The seasonal dynamics of both species in water has been determined, the peak being observed in June and the decrease (and with A. calcoaceticus even disappearance), in August.