Isolation and Characterization of a Bacteriophage of Arthrobacter globiformis

A bacteriophage which reproduces on Arthrobacter globiformis ATCC 8010 was isolated from soil. This bacteriophage, designated phiAG8010, propagates either in soft agar or broth cultures of the host. Because of a slow adsorption rate, neither the latent period nor burst size was determined. The mature virion belongs to Bradley's group B and exhibits a hexagonal head measuring 69 nm (length) by 60 nm (width) attached to a sheathless tail 120 nm long. The buoyant density of the mature virion is 1.534 g/cm(3). The mature virion contains double-stranded DNA with a buoyant density of 1.722 g/cm(3) (equivalent to 63.3% G + C). Of 14 strains (representing 13 species) of Arthrobacter examined, including A. globiformis ATCC 4336, only A. globiformis ATCC 8010 supported replication of phiAG8010.     

Myceloid cell formation in Arthrobacter globiformis during osmotic stress

C.E. DEUTCH AND G.S. PERERA. 1992. Arthrobacter globiformis was grown in a semi-defined liquid medium containing added solutes to determine the effects of osmotic stress on its reproduction and cell morphology. There was a progressive reduction in the specific growth rate during exponential phase as the concentration of NaCl was increased, although the final yields of the cultures during stationary phase were not affected. Clusters of branching myceloid cells rather than the typical bacillary forms predominated during exponential phase. These myceloids did not undergo complete septation and persisted into stationary phase. Similar responses were observed with potassium sulphate as the exogenous solute but less dramatic morphological effects were found with added polyethylene glycol or sucrose. The myceloids formed in response to osmotic stress could not be disrupted mechanically but were more sensitive than normal cells to lysozyme, particularly during stationary phase. Addition of osmoprotective compounds such as proline, glutamate, glycine betaine, or trehalose to the growth medium did not significantly relieve the effects of osmotic stress on growth rate or morphology. A. simplex also formed myceloid cells during osmotic stress but A. crystallopoietes did not. These results indicate that arthrobacters exhibit characteristic responses to osmotic stress and suggest these bacteria may contain novel osmoprotective compounds.     

Myceloid cell formation in Arthrobacter globiformis during osmotic stress.

Arthrobacter globiformis was grown in a semi-defined liquid medium containing added solutes to determine the effects of osmotic stress on its reproduction and cell morphology. There was a progressive reduction in the specific growth rate during exponential phase as the concentration of NaCl was increased, although the final yields of the cultures during stationary phase were not affected. Clusters of branching myceloid cells rather than the typical bacillary forms predominated during exponential phase. These myceloids did not undergo complete septation and persisted into stationary phase. Similar responses were observed with potassium sulphate as the exogenous solute but less dramatic morphological effects were found with added polyethylene glycol or sucrose. The myceloids formed in response to osmotic stress could not be disrupted mechanically but were more sensitive than normal cells to lysozyme, particularly during stationary phase. Addition of osmoprotective compounds such as proline, glutamate, glycine betaine, or trehalose to the growth medium did not significantly relieve the effects of osmotic stress on growth rate or morphology. A. simplex also formed myceloid cells during osmotic stress but A. crystallopoietes did not. These results indicate that arthrobacters exhibit characteristic responses to osmotic stress and suggest these bacteria may contain novel osmoprotective compounds.     

Production of polysaccharides by Arthrobacter globiformis associated with Anabaena azollae in Azolla leaf cavity

Abstract The composition of the capsular polysaccharides (CPS) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) of three strains of Arthrobacter globiformis , isolated from the leaf cavities of Azolla caroliniana (strain B1), A. filiculoides (strains A3 and L1) and A. globiformis ATCC 8010 have been analysed by HPLC and enzymatic assays. Glucose and galactose were detected in the EPS of all the strains, while rhamnose was present only in the EPS of the strain L1 and uronic acids in B1 and ATCC 8010. Traces of fructose were detected by enzymatic assays in all the strains. The CPS contained glucose, galactose and rhamnose, while uronic acids were present only in strain B1. In all the strains the amount of EPS was higher than CPS. The reactivity to different dyes and lectins of the mucilagineous matrix of the algal packets extracted from the fern and of the bacterial mucilage were similar.     

Adaptive characteristics of salt-induced myceloids of Arthrobacter globiformis

When Arthrobacter globiformis is grown in medium containing increased concentrations of NaCl or decreased levels of cations, the bacteria grow as clusters of branching myceloid cells. The sensitivities of salt-induced and citrate-induced myceloids to several environmental stresses were compared to those of normal exponential-phase bacilli and stationary-phase cocci. Salt-induced myceloids were more resistant than normal cells to ultraviolet light or heat shock at 45°C but not to osmotic upshock or pH 4.3; citrate-induced myceloids showed an intermediate rate of heat inactivation. Carbon or nitrogen starvation of myceloids in the absence of added NaCl or citrate led to their division into single cells. Both myceloids and the single cells derived from them were more resistant than normal bacteria to nitrogen starvation. Salt-induced and citrate-induced myceloids showed reduced metabolism of many different carbon compounds in Biolog GP plates. These studies suggest that the formation of multicellular structures by A. globiformis is an adaptive response which increases its potential for survival.     

黄嘌呤氧化酶产生菌的离子注入诱变及其二步发酵的研究

采用剂量 1.0× 10 1 2 ～ 1.0× 10 1 6ions cm2 的N+注入产黄嘌呤氧化酶的球形节杆菌ATCC80 10 ,研究其诱变效果。结果表明 :细菌的存活曲线呈现特殊的“马鞍形” ,菌落形态和颜色发生了变化 ,且变化与产酶量有关 ,经过筛选获得了遗传性能稳定的高酶活突变株 ,使酶活较出发菌提高了 43.0 %。改进发酵工艺 ,采用二步发酵其酶得率是一步发酵的 4.75倍。     

Cloning, sequence analysis, and purification of choline oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis: a bacterial enzyme involved in osmotic stress tolerance

Choline oxidase catalyzes the four-electron oxidation of choline to glycine betaine, one of a limited number of compounds that accumulate to high levels in the cytoplasm of cells to prevent dehydration and plasmolysis in adverse hyperosmotic environments. In the present study, the highly GC rich codA gene encoding for choline oxidase was cloned from genomic DNA of Arthrobacter globiformis strain ATCC 8010 and expressed to high yields in Escherichia coli strain Rosetta(DE3)pLysS. The resulting enzyme was purified to high levels in a single chromatographic step using DEAE-Sepharose, as shown by SDS-PAGE analysis. Denaturation and mass spectroscopic analyses showed that the covalent linkage between the FAD cofactor and the protein is preserved in recombinant choline oxidase, consistent with protein flavinylation being a self-catalytic process. The enzyme was shown to be a homodimer of 120,000 Da by size-exclusion chromatography and to be active with both choline and betaine aldehyde as substrate. Sequencing analysis indicated that the nucleotide sequence of codA originally reported in GenBank contains seven flaws, resulting in a translated protein with a significantly altered amino acid sequence between position 298 and 410.     

Reproductive resting forms of Arthrobacter globiformis

Submerged cultures of Arthrobacter globiformis grown in media unbalanced with respect to carbon and nitrogen sources were found to contain cells exhibiting features typical of resting forms: long-term viability, specific ultrastructure, dormant metabolism, and thermoresistance. Such cells were produced not only in the collection strain VKM B-1112, but also in the A. globiformis strains isolated from 2- to 3-million-year-old permafrost sediments.     

Production of d-Tagatose from Dulcitol by Arthrobacter globiformis

A process for the bacterial oxidation of dulcitol to d-tagatose has been developed. The strain Arthrobacter globiformis ST48 used in this fermentation was isolated from soil. The yield of d-tagatose accumulated in the medium from dulcitol was as high as 85%. About 14 g of d-tagatose crystals was isolated from 1 liter of 2% dulcitol medium.     

Biochemical and phylogenetic analyses of psychrophilic isolates belonging to the Arthrobacter subgroup and description of Arthrobacter psychrolactophilus, sp. nov.

During our work on psychrophilic microorganisms we obtained a large collection of new isolates. In order to identify six of these, we examined their growth properties, cell wall compositions, and their 16S rRNA gene sequences. The results showed that all of the isolates are gram-positive, aerobic, contain lysine in their cell walls, and belong to the high mol% G+C Arthrobacter subgroup. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA genes grouped five isolates obtained from a small geographical region into a monophyletic clade. Isolate B7 had a 16S rRNA sequence that was 94.3% similar to that of Arthrobacter polychromogenes and 94.4% similar to that of Arthrobacter oxydans. Primary characteristics that distinguish isolate B7 from the Arthrobacter type strain (Arthrobacter globiformis) and A. polychromogenes include lack of growth at 37 degrees C, growth at 0-5 degrees C, the ability to use lactose as a sole carbon source, and the absence of blue pigments. Because of these differences, isolate B7 was chosen as a type strain representing a new Arthrobacter species, Arthrobacter psychrolactophilus. The sixth isolate, LV7, differed from the other five because it did not have the rod/ coccus morphological cycle and was most closely related to Arthrobacter agilis.     

A strain of Arthrobacter that tolerates highconcentrations of nitrate

A gram-positive strain identified as Arthrobacter globiformis CECT 4500, tolerant to up to 1 M nitrate, was isolated from the grounds of a munitions factory. Under strict aerobic conditions, this bacterium used a wide variety of C-sources to obtain the energy required for growth, which took place when the nitrate concentration in the medium was below150 mM. Cells of this bacterium growing in the absence of nitrate were seen as individual cells or forming pairs,whereas cells grown in the presence of nitrate formed short filaments. With ethylene glycol as the C-source, optimal conditions for the full nitrate removal by Arthrobacter were established under laboratory conditions with wastewaters from the synthesis of dinitroethylene glycol. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Formation of resting forms of Arthrobacter globiformis in autolysing cell suspensions

Under conditions of spontaneous or induced autolysis of thick cell suspensions, Arthrobacter globiformis strains produced cells exhibiting features typical of resting microbial forms. The number of viable resting cells was greater under conditions of induced rather than spontaneous autolysis. The thermoresistance of the resting cells of A. globiformis strains isolated from 2- to 3 million-year-old permafrost was higher than that of the collection A. globiformis strain.     

Production of Riboflavin by Arthrobacter globiformis

S ummary . The yellow pigment excreted by a strain of Arthrobacter globiformis during exponential growth was identified as riboflav in. The amount produced was approximately 5 μ/mg of cells formed (dry weight) in all media tested, rich as well as poor. This value was also found in media containing 1% of Tween So, even though the concentration of internal flavins then was nearly one-half the normal value. Over production of riboflavin in most media was 40-50 fold. The specific growth rate of the riboflavin producer was sevral per cent less than that of a normal strain of the same species.     

Members of the genus Arthrobacter grow anaerobically using nitrate ammonification and fermentative processes: anaerobic adaptation of aerobic bacteria abundant in soil

Members of the genus Arthrobacter are usually regarded as obligate aerobic bacteria. The anaerobic growth and energy metabolism of two Arthrobacter species were investigated. Arthrobacter globiformis utilized both nitrate ammonification and lactate, acetate and ethanol producing fermentation processes for anaerobic growth. Only nitrate supported anaerobic growth of Arthrobacter nicotianae. Anaerobically induced respiratory nitrate reductase activity was detected in both strains. Neither of the tested strains used the alternative electron acceptors fumarate, dimethylsulfoxide or trimethylamine-N-oxide.     

Facultative methylotroph belonging to the genus Arthrobacter]

A bacterial strain has been isolated and identified, on the basis of its morphological and physiologo-biochemical properties, as Arthrobacter globiformis. The bacterium is a facultative methylotroph and grows not only on media with various organic compounds but also in the presence of methylated amines as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. Other C1-substrates were not utilized.     

Peptidoglycan compositions of a new strain of Arthrobacter crystallopietes during sphere-rod morphogenesis.

Arthrobacter crystallopoieties ATCC 15481 was used to isolate a new strain. designated Arthrobacter crystallopoieties EPSR-16, which had a mass doubling time in brain heart infusion broth and in glucose/salts/yeast extract medium of 30 min compared to 2.40 h for the parent strain in similar media. The growth rates for the new strain and for the parent were close to 12 h in glucose/salts medium. The new strain formed well-separated cocci and diplococci in glucose/salts medium, and upon nutrient shift-up all the cells in the population gradually changed into well-separated rods of regular shape. In the spherical state the cell wall peptidoglycan of the new strain contained lysine and no diaminopimelic acid. A gradual loss in lysine and a gain in diaminopimelic acid occurred during morphogenesis. Diaminopimelic acid became predominant in the cell wall during balanced growth in the rod state.     

Cyclic tetrasaccharide-synthesizing enzymes from Arthrobacter globiformis A19

A bacterial strain Arthrobacter globiformis A19 producing cyclic tetrasaccharide (CTS) was isolated from soil. The enzymes, 6-alpha-glucosyltransferase (6GT) and 3-alpha-isomaltosyltransferase (IMT), involved in the synthesis of CTS were purified to homogeneity. The molecular and enzymatic properties of IMT from A. globiformis were similar to those of enzymes from Bacillus globisporus C11 and N75. Arthrobacter 6GT had a smaller molecular mass of 108 kDa and a higher optimum pH of 8.4 than the enzymes from strains of B. globisporus. The genes for IMT (ctsY) and 6GT (ctsZ) were cloned from the genome of A. globiformis A19. The two genes linked together in tandem and formed a gene cluster, ctsYZ. Both of the gene products showed similarities to alpha-glucosidases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 31, and conserved two aspartic acids corresponding to the putative catalytic residues of the family enzymes. The enzymatic system for the production of CTS consisting of 6GT and IMT might be widespread among bacteria.     

Manganese deficiency impairs ribonucleotide reduction but not DNA replication in Arthrobacter species

Manganese deficiency induced unbalanced growth, filamentous morphology and a decrease of viability in Arthrobacter citreus ATCC 11624, A. globiformis ATCC 8010 and A. oxydans DSM 420. Under these conditions whole cells showed an inhibition of DNA formation but not of RNA synthesis. However, DNA replication still functioned when manganese-deficient cells were made permeable to and supplied with all four deoxyribonucleotides. The inhibition of DNA formation in-vivo could be traced back to impairment of DNA precursor biosynthesis as ribonucleotide reductase activity was distinctly reduced upon starvation of manganese. Both DNA formation in-vivo and ribonucleotide reductase activity were restored in the starved cultures by addition of Mn²⁺ but not of other divalent cations. In these manganese-reactivated cultures both processes were stimulated above the levels of the manganese-sufficient controls. Rifampicin or chloramphenicol (both 100 g/ml) could not suppress the rapid manganese-reactivation of cultures starved of this cation. This suggests the presence of an inactive metal-deficient ribonucleotide reductase apoenzyme in manganese-deficient cells. The presence of a manganese-dependent ribonucleotide reduction in the genus Arthrobacter besides of Brevibacterium ammoniagenes and Micrococcus luteus indicates a broad distribution of this new type of metal catalysis for DNA precursor biosynthesis in the high GC% branch of the Gram-positive bacteria.Abbreviations HU hydroxyurea - TCA trichloroacetic acid     

Degradation of substituted phenylurea herbicides by Arthrobacter globiformis strain D47 and characterization of a plasmid-associated hydrolase gene, puhA

Arthrobacter globiformis D47 was shown to degrade a range of substituted phenylurea herbicides in soil. This strain contained two plasmids of approximately 47 kb (pHRIM620) and 34 kb (pHRIM621). Plasmid-curing experiments produced plasmid-free strains as well as strains containing either the 47- or the 34-kb plasmid. The strains were tested for their ability to degrade diuron, which demonstrated that the degradative genes were located on the 47-kb plasmid. Studies on the growth of these strains indicated that the ability to degrade diuron did not offer a selective advantage to A. globiformis D47 on minimal medium designed to contain the herbicide as a sole carbon source. The location of the genes on a plasmid and a lack of selection would explain why the degradative phenotype, as with many other pesticide-degrading bacteria, can be lost on subculture. A 22-kb EcoRI fragment of plasmid pHRIM620 was expressed in Escherichia coli and enabled cells to degrade diuron. Transposon mutagenesis of this fragment identified one open reading frame that was essential for enzyme activity. A smaller subclone of this gene (2.5 kb) expressed in E. coli coded for the protein that degraded diuron. This gene and its predicted protein sequence showed only a low level of protein identity (25% over ca. 440 amino acids) to other database sequences and was named after the enzyme it encoded, phenylurea hydrolase (puhA gene).