Regulatory effect of microbial alkyloxybenzenes of different structure on the stress response of yeast

The effect of alkylhydroxybenzenes (AHBs) belonging to the class of alkylresorcinols differing in the degree of hydrophobicity—C7-AHB and more hydrophobic C12-AHB—on the resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to heat shock and oxidative stress of lethal intensity was studied. Depending on structure and concentration, AHB added 2 h before exposure to stress had either an antistress or stress-potentiating effect on yeast cells in the mid-logarithmic growth phase. C7-AHB at concentrations 0.25–0.5 g/l caused a two-to fivefold increase in the resistance of yeast cells to hydrogen peroxide (30–150 mM), whereas C12-AHB reduced it at all concentrations. C7-AHB and C12-AHB had a similar effect on yeast subjected to heat shock (45°C, 30 min). It was found that the degree of the protective effect of C7-AHB and potentiating effect of C12-AHB depended on the nature of the stressor, being more pronounced in heat shock. The environmental significance of the antistress and stress-potentiating effects of microbial AHBs is discussed.     

Role of alkylhydroxybenzenes in bacterial adaptation to unfavorable growth conditions

The adaptogenic effect of the chemical analogues of alkylhydroxybenzenes (AHBs), bacterial extracellular autoregulators (the individual compound C7-AHB and its technical preparation Sidovit), was demonstrated for two pseudomonad species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and P. fluorescens. The protective effect of AHBs resulted in increased growth rate and biomass accumulation in bacteria grown under suboptimal conditions within the species tolerance range. The adaptogenic effect of AHBs (10–50 μmg/l) was more pronounced under more unfavorable growth conditions. In the case of P. fluorescens, the individual compound C7-AHB increased the biomass yield by 30% under alkaline conditions (pH 9.5), when the growth rate decreased by 80–90% compared to the optimum (pH 5.5–7.5). The Sidovit preparation, containing a mixture of natural AHBs with C7-AHB as the main component, increased the growth rate of P. aeruginosa by 40–60% at nonoptimal temperatures (45 and 10°C) or under enhanced salinity (1% NaCl). The action of AHBs as regulators of the rpoS and SOS response stress regulons was demonstrated to be among the mechanisms of their adaptogenic effect, as was demonstrated with the relevant reporter genes in the model strains E. coli C600 thi, thr, leuΔ(pro-lac) with the osmE-lacZ and umuD-lacZ hybrid operons, respectively. AHBs are technologically and economically acceptable as adaptogenic supplements for bacterial preparations used in soil bioremediation and oil spillage removal under conditions unfavorable for microbial growth, including increased salinity, extreme pH, and fluctuating sub- or supraoptimal temperatures.     

Spatial and temporal characteristics of electron and ion beams generated by high-voltage nanosecond discharges in dense molecular gases

Observations of ordered-structure electron beams generated by high-voltage nanosecond discharges in relatively dense (0.04–1 torr) molecular gases at high overvoltages are reported. The beams of accelerated ions generated by high-voltage nanosecond discharges are found to exhibit the same ordered structure. The observed structure of ion beams casts doubt on the mechanisms for the formation of a striped electron-beam structure that assume a regular ecton distribution. Parameters characterizing the temporal behavior of the accelerated electron and ion beams are measured.