A Note: Serological study of four pathovars of Pseudomonas syringae: Ps. syr. aptata, Ps. syr. tabaci, Ps. syr. mors-prunorum and Ps. syr. phaseolicola

The antigenic reactions of 35 strains of four pathovars of Pseudomonas syringae (Ps. syr. aptata, Ps. syr. tabaci, Ps. syr. mors-prunorum and Ps. syr. phaseolicola ) were studied by double diffusion and indirect immunofluorescent staining, and anti-whole-cell and anti-LPS-extract sera. It had already been shown that the precipitating lines in Ouchterlony double-diffusion tests, due to bacterial LPS, were suitable for the distinction of O-serogroups. The investigation of serological cross-reactions between the 35 strains and 20 antisera revealed that three pathovars were serologically homogeneous: Ps. syr. aptata, Ps. syr. tabaci and Ps. syr. phaseolicola. They could fit into three O-serogroups formerly described: namely APTPIS, TAB and PHA. The O-serogroups APTPIS and TAB showed some common antigens. The 10 strains of Ps. syr. mors-prunorum studied were distributed into two O-serogroups (eight strains belonging to the O-serogroup MOP1, one strain to MOP2, and the last strain failed to react with any of the serogroups).     

Exopolysaccharides of the plant pathogens Pseudomonas corrugata and Ps. flavescens and the saprophyte Ps. chlororaphis

The rRNA-DNA homology group I pseudomonads Pseudomonas asplenii, Ps. corrugata, Ps. flavescens (plant pathogens), Ps. alcaligenes, Ps. pseudoalcaligenes subsp. pseudoalcaligenes (opportunistic human pathogens), Ps. aureofaciens and Ps. chlororaphis (saprophytes) were examined for their ability to produce exopolysaccharides (EPSs) when cultured on various solid and liquid complex media with glucose, glycerol or gluconate as primary sources of carbon. All three strains (388, 717 and ATCC 29736) of Ps. corrugata produced alginate, a polyuronan. An EPS composed of glucose, fucose, mannose and an unidentified uronic acid substituted with lactic acid was produced by one (B62) of two strains of Ps. flavescens. Of four strains of Ps. chlororaphis tested, only strain NRRL B-2075 produced EPS. The extracellular material purified by anion-exchange chromatography appeared to be a mixture of alginate plus an acidic hexosamine-containing polymer(s). Production of EPS by the other pseudomonads was not supported by any of the media tested.     

Human partoid size polymorphism (Ps): Characterization of two allelic products,Ps 1 and 2, by limited proteolysis

The allelically determined human salivary proteins, Ps 1 and 2, were purified on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, eluted, and compared by limited proteolysis with Streptomyces griseus protease VI, Bacillus subtilis protease VII, and Staphylococcus aureus protease V8. Prior dansylation of the Ps isoproteins facilitated visualization of the peptides. Digestion patterns indicate considerable homology between the Ps isoproteins and support the conclusion [Azen, A. E., and Denniston, C. (1980). Biochem. Genet. 18:483] that there is an actual molecular weight difference between them. Further, the results suggest that this difference owes to an extension of the Ps 2 chain at one of its ends.This study was supported in part by PHS Research Grant 1 RO1 DE05684. PAG was supported by NRSA Training Grant 5 T32 DE07043. RCK was supported by PHS Career Development Award 1 K04 AM00284.     

Studies on the Bacteriophagy of Pseudomonas mors-prunorum, Ps. syringae and Related Organisms

S ummary : A group of 23 phages, mainly isolated with Pseudomonas mors-prunorum and Ps. syringae as the propagating strains, was tested against more than 200 pseudomonads including named plant pathogens and a variety of saprophytes. The majority of the phages had a wide host range, and did not distinguish between plant pathogens and saprophytes, thus confirming the close relationship between these two groups. The most reactive bacteria were 60 English isolates of Ps. mors-prunorum , 48 from cherry and 12 from plum, and 28 isolates of Ps. syringae from pear. Patterns of reaction within these 3 groups were relatively homogeneous and each group was distinct and differed from all other isolates tested. Ps. syringae isolates from other hosts were less uniform and occasionally shared reaction patterns with other species, e.g. Ps. cannabina and Ps. glycinea. Similar relationships were observed with phages at both high titre and at routine test dilution including the difference in phage sensitivity between the cherry and plum strains of Ps. mors-prunorum. On the basis of 7 biochemical tests the plum and cherry strains were indistinguishable but they differed from all Ps. syringae isolates tested by giving white growth in 5% sucrose broth and in failing to liquefy gelatin. Furthermore, unlike most Ps. syringae isolates they were also unable to hydrolyze aesculin and were tyrosinase positive. There was no clear evidence in this investigation of correlation between phage sensitivity and biochemical activity. Eleven isolates from various European countries, designated Ps. mors-prunorum , differed widely both in phage sensitivity and biochemical activity and some of them may be more appropriately called Ps. syringae. Others may be intermediate forms between these species. The relationship between Ps. mors-prunorum and Ps. syringae and the nomenclature of these organisms are discussed and a concept of ecotypes suggested as a substitute for species.     

Ceftazidime, a broad spectrum cephalosporin with activity against Ps. aeruginosa

Ceftazidime is one of the oximinoaminothiazolyl cephalosporins with resistance to most B-lactamases from gram-negative bacteria, and a very wide spectrum of activity including Ps. aeruginosa. MIC's of less than 0.1 mg/l are seen routinely against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae, Proteus spp. both indole positive and negative, Serratia sp., and Providence sp. The mean MIC against clinical isolates of Ps. aeruginosa is less than 2 mg/l. It is bactericidal at concentrations close to the MIC and its activity is unimpaired in the presence of serum. Ceftazidime is well distributed in the body, penetrating into all body fluids at concentrations excess of the MIC's of most pathogenic bacteria. It has a half-life of about 1.5 hours, is excreted almost exclusively by the kidney and is not bound to serum proteins. More than 12,000 patients have now been treated with the antibiotic, with an overall success rate of more than 93%.     

A cluster-gene: evidence for one gene, one polypeptide, five enzymes.

Experiments with mice show that the pre-carcinogen vinyl chloride is metabolically converted to a short-lived alkylating intermediate which introduces the 2-oxoethyl group onto nucleophilic sites in DNA and proteins. The absolute and relative amounts of alkylated products support the hypothesis that the main reactive metabolite is chloroethylene oxide.     

General equations for Pt, Ps, and the power of the TDT and the affected-sib-pair test

Several equations are highlighted here, whose algebraic symmetries and generality make them very useful for understanding and comparing the properties of the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) and affected sib-pair test. Methods using the equations are also presented that yield precise estimates of sample sizes needed for genome scans or for testing a single candidate gene, and these power methods are shown to compare favorably with alternative approaches recently described by Knapp (1999) and by Tu and Whittemore (1999). Simple relationships are also noted that summarize the relative sample sizes required for equivalent power to detect association by the TDT or case-control designs. As single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) maps revolutionize the search for disease-causing genes, the equations should prove useful for planning and evaluating studies of linkage and association across a broad range of possible disease models and relationships between markers and linked disease loci.     

A road map for TR(I)Ps

The development of our knowledge on the structure, molecular regulation, and cell function on transient receptor potential (TRP) channels has been growing dramatically during the last few years. Many meetings in the past and upcoming events are now focused on TRP channels as general sensor molecules in cell physiology. However, most of the scientists in the field still feel that we are just beginning to understand these truly remarkable proteins, called TRPs, and there is still a long way to go from structure via molecular regulation to cell and organ function. This generally accepted but exciting view about the long road to the understanding of TRPs dominated all presentations given at the 2006 Minerva-Gentner Symposium on TRP channels and calcium signalling, which was held in Eilat, Israel, and was excellently organized by Baruch Minke (Jerusalem, Israel) and supported by Veit Flockerzi (Homburg, Germany).     

Construction of a chromosome map for the phage group II Staphylococcus aureus Ps55.

The genome size and a partial physical and genetic map have been defined for the phage group II Staphylococcus aureus Ps55. The genome size was estimated to be 2,771 kb by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using the restriction enzymes SmaI, CspI, and SgrAI. The Ps55 chromosome map was constructed by transduction of auxotrophic and cryptic transposon insertions, with known genetic and physical locations in S. aureus NCTC 8325, into the Ps55 background. PFGE and DNA hybridization analysis were used to detect the location of the transposon in Ps55. Ps55 restriction fragments were then ordered on the basis of genetic conservation between the two strains. Cloned DNA probes containing the lactose operon (lac) and genes encoding staphylococcal protein A (spa), gamma hemolysin (hlg), and coagulase (coa) were also located on the map by PFGE and hybridization analysis. This methodology enabled a direct comparison of chromosomal organization between NCTC 8325 and Ps55 strains. The chromosome size, gene order, and some of the restriction sites are conserved between the two phage group strains.