Protoplast fusion in Streptomyces fradiae strains producing neomycin and tylosin]

Interspecies fusion of protoplasts of the Streptomyces fradiae strains producing neomycin (an aminoglycoside antibiotic) and tylosin (a macrolide antibiotic) was performed with a view to isolate strains producing novel antibiotics. Fusion of the protoplasts of the neomycin- and tylosin-producing strains labelled by the resistance to monomycin and lincomycin, respectively, caused no formation of stable strains producing antibiotics differing in chromatographic mobility from the antibiotics produced by the initial strains. In fusion of the protoplasts of the unlabelled strains, heat-inactivated protoplasts of the active line of one strain (donor) and native protoplasts of the inactive line of the other strain (recipient) were used. When the neomycin-producing culture was used as a recipient the fusion led to formation of strain 195-34 producing antibiotics of the benzo(a)anthraquinone group. One of these antibiotics, i.e. antibiotic 34-I, proved to be a novel biologically active substance. After regeneration of the protoplasts of the initial strains, no stable strains producing antibiotics differing from neomycin and tylosin were isolated.     

利用土壤宏基因组技术定向筛选抗生素产生菌的方法学建立

为了快速从土壤中定向筛选抗生素产生菌, 本研究利用宏基因组技术进行了土壤中抗生素产生菌快速筛选方法的探索。对6 种不同土质的土壤利用液氮冷冻法提取土壤基因组DNA 并用PVPP柱层析法进行纯化, 每克湿土可得到32.25?61.25 μg DNA, 片段大小为23 kb左右, 说明宏基因组DNA样品完整, 16S rDNA的 PCR结果证明了该基因组DNA纯度可用于后期的分子操作。利用Herbimycin产生菌掺入法进行了抗生素产生菌筛选方法学的验证。结果证明, 每克湿土掺入103个Herbimycin产生菌时, 利用Herbimycin合成基因簇的特定引物即可从所提取的土壤基因组DNA中扩增出目标条带, 并且可以利用传统菌种分离方法从土壤中重新分离出来被掺入到土壤的Herbimycin产生菌。这些结果证明本研究建立的定向抗生素产生菌筛选方法, 具有快捷、灵敏的特点, 大大减少传统筛选方法的工作强度和时间, 为微生物新药的研发建立一种全新的研究方法。     

Filing of microorganism strains for patent claims in the Soviet Union

The modern state of depositing microorganisms with regard to patent procedure is considered. The main stages of depositing are described. Two questions of paramount importance for depositors are examined, i.e. what kind of microorganisms should not be deposited with regard to patent procedure, who and on what terms can get samples of deposited microorganisms from the collection. A number of recommendations for researchers potential depositors of microorganisms, are given.     

Escherichia coli mutants resistant to inactivation by high hydrostatic pressure.

Alternating cycles of exposure to high pressure and outgrowth of surviving populations were used to select for highly pressure-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli MG1655. Three barotolerant mutants (LMM1010, LMM1020, and LMM1030) were isolated independently by using outgrowth temperatures of 30, 37, and 42 degrees C, respectively. Survival of these mutants after pressure treatment for 15 min at ambient temperature was 40 to 85% at 220 MPa and 0.5 to 1.5% at 800 MPa, while survival of the parent strain, MG1655, decreased from 15% at 220 MPa to 2 x 10(-8)% at 700 MPa. Heat resistance of mutants LMM1020 and LMM1030 was also altered, as evident by higher D values at 58 and 60 degrees C and reduced z values compared to those for the parent strain. D and z values for mutant LMM1010 were not significantly different from those for the parent strain. Pressure sensitivity of the mutants increased from 10 to 50 degrees C, as opposed to the parent strain, which showed a minimum around 40 degrees C. The ability of the mutants to grow at moderately elevated pressure (50 MPa) was reduced at temperatures above 37 degrees C, indicating that resistance to pressure inactivation is unrelated to barotolerant growth. The development of high levels of barotolerance as demonstrated in this work should cause concern about the safety of high-pressure food processing.     

Haemophilus influenzae antibiotic resistant strains isolated in Moscow in 2002-2004]

The results of 3-year observation on emergence of H. influenzae antibiotic resistant strains in Moscow are summarized. The study included 566 strains isolated from patients in 2002-2004. The susceptibility was determined by the 2-fold microdilution method on the Haemophilus test medium. The percentage of the resistant strains isolated in 2002, 2003 and 2004 was the following: ampicillin --4.9, 3.2 and 3.6%, tetracycline--3.3, 3.2 and 1.8% and co-trimoxazole--10.9, 20.9 and 20% respectively. The strains isolated in 2003 and 2004 were resistant to azithromycin in 0.6 and 1.8% of the isolates and to clarithromycin in 1.3 and 3.2% of the isolates respectively. Five isolates differed by the minimum resistance to ampicillin whereas producing no beta-lactamase (BLNAR strains). The drugs of choice for the treatment of respiratory tract infections mainly due to H. influenzae, i.e. acute otitis and sinusitis, chronic bronchitis exacerbation and sometimes pneumonia remain betalactam antibiotics. From the microbiological viewpoint the inhibitor-protected aminopenicillins, cefuroxime and cefotaxime have no significant advantages vs. amoxycillin. The use of cotrimoxazole and chloramphenicol should be considered inexpedient.     

Evaluation of susceptibility to antibiotics of Staphylococcus aureus strains resistant to methicillin]

Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) constitute a serious diagnostic and therapeutic problem. Over 500 strains of Staphylococcus aureus were tested for susceptibility to methicillin. By application of a screening method, 13.7% of these strains were classified as methicillin-resistant. Over 95% of these strains were isolated from hospital infections. Applying criteria of belonging of these strains to methicillin-resistance classes it was found that 49.3% belonged to class II, 31.2% to class III and 19.5% to class IV. Analysis of susceptibility to antibiotics of MRSA strains demonstrated significant differences between class II and between class III and IV in resistance to imipenem, gentamycin, erythromycin and tetracycline. All tested strains were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, vancomycin and teicoplanin. The screening method (25 mg methicillin/l of TSA medium) results in obtaining of univocal results of determination of methicillin-resistance in S. aureus.     

Targeted inactivation of francisella tularensis genes by group II introns

Studies of the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, have been hampered by a lack of genetic techniques for rapid targeted gene disruption in the most virulent subspecies. Here we describe efficient targeted gene disruption in F. tularensis utilizing mobile group II introns (targetrons) specifically optimized for F. tularensis. Utilizing a targetron targeted to blaB, which encodes ampicillin resistance, we showed that the system works at high efficiency in three different subspecies: F. tularensis subsp. tularensis, F. tularensis subsp. holarctica, and "F. tularensis subsp. novicida." A targetron was also utilized to inactivate F. tularensis subsp. holarctica iglC, a gene required for virulence. The iglC gene is located within the Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI), which has been duplicated in the most virulent subspecies. Importantly, the iglC targetron targeted both copies simultaneously, resulting in a strain mutated in both iglC genes in a single step. This system will help illuminate the contributions of specific genes, and especially those within the FPI, to the pathogenesis of this poorly studied organism.     

Novel approach for improving the productivity of antibiotic-producing strains by inducing combined resistant mutations

We developed a novel approach for improving the production of antibiotic from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) by inducing combined drug-resistant mutations. Mutants with enhanced (1.6- to 3-fold-higher) actinorhodin production were detected at a high frequency (5 to 10%) among isolates resistant to streptomycin (Str(r)), gentamicin (Gen(r)), or rifampin (Rif(r)), which developed spontaneously on agar plates which contained one of the three drugs. Construction of double mutants (str gen and str rif) by introducing gentamicin or rifampin resistance into an str mutant resulted in further increased (1.7- to 2.5-fold-higher) actinorhodin productivity. Likewise, triple mutants (str gen rif) thus constructed were found to have an even greater ability for producing the antibiotic, eventually generating a mutant able to produce 48 times more actinorhodin than the wild-type strain. Analysis of str mutants revealed that a point mutation occurred within the rpsL gene, which encodes the ribosomal protein S12. rif mutants were found to have a point mutation in the rpoB gene, which encodes the beta-subunit of RNA polymerase. Mutation points in gen mutants still remain unknown. These single, double, and triple mutants displayed in hierarchical order a remarkable increase in the production of ActII-ORF4, a pathway-specific regulatory protein, as determined by Western blotting analysis. This reflects the same hierarchical order observed for the increase in actinorhodin production. The superior ability of the triple mutants was demonstrated by physiological analyses under various cultural conditions. We conclude that by inducing combined drug-resistant mutations we can continuously increase the production of antibiotic in a stepwise manner. This new breeding approach could be especially effective for initially improving the production of antibiotics from wild-type strains.     

Requirement of protein and RNA synthesis for lambda repressor inactivation by tif-1: effects of chloramphenicol, neomycin and rifampicin.

Summary The inactivation of repressor was followed by the specific DNA binding assay during the course of lysogenic induction provoked by incubation at 42°C of an E. coli tif-1 lysogenic strain. The presence of up to 400 g/ml chloramphenicol during the inducing treatment did not impair the loss of repressor binding activity, whilst concentrations of 200 g/ml neomycin and 100 g/ml rifampicin effectively inhibited the inactivation of repressor.Residual protein synthesis in the presence of chloramphenicol, neomycin and rifampicin was 5%, 5% and 27% respectively of that observed in the drug-free control. This residual synthesis did not appear to involve amplification of the X-protein. These results suggest that tif-mediated inactivation of the repressor requires the activation of some specific gene(s), the translation of which appears to be resistant to chloramphenicol.     

New C25 carbamate rifamycin derivatives are resistant to inactivation by ADP-ribosyl transferases

A novel series of 3-morpholino rifamycins in which the C25 acetate group was replaced by a carbamate group were prepared and found to exhibit significantly improved antimicrobial activity than rifampin against Mycobacterium smegmatis. Further characterization of such compounds suggests that relatively large groups attached to the rifamycin core via a C25 carbamate linkage prevent inactivation via ribosylation of the C23 alcohol as catalyzed by the endogenous rifampin ADP-ribosyl transferase of M. smegmatis. SAR studies of the C25 carbamate rifamycin series against M. smegmatis and other bacteria are reported.     

Irreversible inactivation of Chlorella glutamine synthetase by urea]

The effect of urea on Chlorella glutamine synthetase (E. C. 6.3.1.2) activity and tertiary structure is investigated. Urea is found to inhibit the activity of glutamine synthetase, the inhibitory effect being independent on the time. The enzyme molecule relax and changes its affinity to ammonium under the effect of urea at concentrations of 1.0-4.0 M. Higher concentrations of urea (5,0 M and more) produce a dissociation of the enzyme molecule into monomers without any intermediate forms. Monomers do not possess any synthetase and transferase activities. Substrates and cofactors do not protect the enzyme from the effect of urea and do not stimulate the emzyme reactivation and reaggregation after its dissotiation. The data obtained are discussed from the viewpoint of the regulation of Chlorella glutamine synthetase activity in vivo.     

Classification ofChlorella strains by cell appearance and group sera

Employing 32 strains ofChlorella, sizes and forms of daughter and mother cells and the cross-reaction of group sera were examined for the classification of these organisms. The cell size distribution of log phase cells grown in a glucose medium under limited light was not affected by culture temperature. The ratio of minor and major axes of ellipsoidal cells remained almost unchanged in any given species, independent of culture conditions including culture age. The taxonomic arrangment based on the cell appearance corresponded well with that based on the serological groups. In conclusion, at least 26 of the 32 strains were classified into 9 species based on the cell appearance and group sera.     

Organic solvent functional group effect on enzyme inactivation by the interfacial mechanism

We have used a bubble column apparatus to study interfacial inactivation of enzymes. The amount of enzyme inactivated was proportional to the area of organic solvent exposed, as is characteristic of the interfacial mechanism. Tests were made with a series of 12 solvents of log P close to 4.0, but with different functional groups. With - and β-chymotrypsin, inactivation was much less severe with amphiphilic molecules like decyl alcohol, than with less polar compounds (heptane as the extreme case). This corresponds to a correlation with aqueous–organic interfacial tension, and presumably reflects a more polar interface as seen by the enzyme adsorbing from the aqueous phase. A 50% mixture of decyl alcohol and heptane behaved similarly to pure decyl alcohol, which would be expected to accumulate at the interface. With pig liver esterase, the correlation was rather weak, however. Accumulated data for interfacial inactivation by alkanes was examined for the above enzymes, and also papain, trypsin, urease and ribonuclease. The differing sensitivities did not show a clear correlation with any enzyme property, although there was some relationship to adiabatic compressibility, thermal denaturation temperature and mean hydrophobicity.