Mobility of the Yersinia High-Pathogenicity Island (HPI): transfer mechanisms of pathogenicity islands (PAIS) revisited (a review)

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a key role in the evolution of bacterial pathogens. The exchange of genetic material supplies prokaryotes with several fitness traits enhancing their adaptive response to environmental changes. Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) represent an important and in most cases already immobilized subset of the different vehicles for HGT. Encoding several virulence factors PAls represent a major contribution to bacterial pathogenicity. Nonetheless, the transfer mechanisms of PAIs still remain elusive. We summarise the currently available data regarding the major ways of genetic mobilisation with a focus on the transfer of the Yersinia High-Pathogenicity Island (HPI).     

Yeast biodiversity in the guts of several pests on maize; comparison of three methods: classical isolation,cloning and DGGE

The yeast biodiversity in the guts of several pests (Diabrotica virgifera, Helicoverpa armigera, Ostrinia nubilalis) on maize from two isolation sources was assessed by cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent methods. These yeasts are considered to bear a potentially high biotechnological relevance due to their potential ability to degrade several mycotoxins incorporated by their hosts. The 97 isolated yeast strains showed 21 different partial sequence types of the 26S rRNA gene which could be assigned to 10 different genera. The determined genera and species are discussed in terms of the meaning of their taxonomic status or their occurrence in nature. Two cultivation-independent methods, cloning and DGGE, were compared. We propose the combination of these methods as well as the combination of both cultivation-independent and cultivation-dependent approaches, for gaining better insights into fungal biodiversity. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

O-GlcNAc modification of proteins affects volume regulation in Jurkat cells

An increasing amount of recent research has demonstrated that the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) plays a significant role in the modulation of intracellular signaling transduction pathways, and affects cellular processes via modification of protein by O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). Besides the many known and postulated effects of protein O-GlcNAc modifications, there is little available data on the role of O-GlcNAc in cellular volume regulation. Our objective was to test the effect of increased O-GlcNAc levels on hypotonia-induced volume changes in Jurkat cells. We pretreated Jurkat cells for 1 h with glucosamine (GlcN), PUGNAc (O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosylidene)-amino-N-phenylcarbamate) an inhibitor of O-GlcNAcase, or a high level of glucose to induce elevated levels of O-GlcNAc. We found that the response of Jurkat cells to hypotonic stress was significantly altered. The hypotonia induced cell-swelling was augmented in both GlcN and PUGNAc-treated cells and, to a lesser extent, in high glucose concentration-treated cells. Evaluated by NMR measurements, GlcN and PUGNAc treatment also significantly reduced intracellular water diffusion. Taken together, increased cell swelling and reduced water diffusion caused by elevated O-GlcNAc show notable analogy to the regulatory volume changes seen by magnetic resonance methods in nervous and other tissues in different pathological states. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time that protein O-GlcNAc could modulate cell volume regulation.     

Peptide antibiotics in action: investigation of polypeptide chains in insoluble environments by rotational-echo double resonance

Rotational-echo double resonance (REDOR) is a solid-state NMR technique that has the capability of providing intra- and intermolecular distance and orientational restraints in non-crystallizable, poorly soluble heterogeneous molecular systems such as cell membranes and cell walls. In this review, we will present two applications of REDOR: the investigation of a magainin-related antimicrobial peptide in lipid bilayers and the study of a vancomycin-like glycopeptide in the cell walls of Staphylococcus aureus.     

Avian blood parasite richness decreases with major histocompatibility complex class I loci number

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are among the most polymorphic in the vertebrate genome. The high allele diversity is believed to be maintained primarily by sexual and pathogen-mediated balancing selection. The number of MHC loci also varies greatly across vertebrates, most notably across birds. MHC proteins play key roles in presenting antigens on the cell surface for recognition by T cells, with class I proteins specifically targeting intracellular pathogens. Here, we explore the hypothesis that MHC class I diversity (measured as loci number) coevolves with haemosporidian parasite burden of the host. Using data on 54 bird species, we demonstrate that high-MHC class I diversity is associated with significantly lower richness of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus as well as overall haemosporidian parasite lineages, the former thus indicating more efficient protection against intracellular pathogens. Nonetheless, the latter associations were only detected when MHC diversity was assessed using cloning and not 454 pyrosequencing-based studies, nor across all genotyping methods combined. Our results indicate that high-MHC class I diversity might play a key role in providing qualitative resistance against diverse haemosporidian parasites in birds, but further clarification is needed for the origin of contrasting results when using different genotyping methods for MHC loci quantification.     

Interaction of TPPP/p25 protein with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and their co-localization in Lewy bodies

TPPP/p25, a flexible unstructured protein, binds to tubulin and induces aberrant microtubule assemblies. We identified hereby glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a new interacting partner of TPPP/p25. The immunoprecipitation and affinity chromatographic experiments with bovine brain cell-free extract revealed that the interaction was salt and NAD(+) sensitive while ELISA showed resistant and firm association of the two isolated proteins. In transfected HeLa cells at low expression level of EGFP-TPPP/p25, while the green fusion protein aligned at the microtubular network, GAPDH distributed uniformly in the cytosol. However, at high expression level, GAPDH co-localized with TPPP/p25 in the aggresome-like aggregate. Immunohistochemistry showed enrichment of TPPP/p25 and GAPDH within the alpha-synuclein positive Lewy body.     

In vitro effect of the potent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor INO-1001 alone and in combination with aspirin, eptifibatide, tirofiban, enoxaparin or alteplase on haemostatic parameters

It has been shown that PARP inhibition is protective in several models of ischemia-reperfusion injury including cardiac, cerebral and renal ones. Due to their ability to reduce myocardial necrosis and to improve myocardial function PARP inhibitors emerged as candidates for treating various cardiovascular diseases including acute myocardial ischemia. Since the pathophysiology of acute ischemic cardiac diseases involves haemostatic impairment and the therapeutic regimen includes antithrombotic drugs, we investigated the effect of the potent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor INO-1001 alone and in combination with platelet aggregation inhibitors (aspirin, eptifibatide and tirofiban), unfractionated heparin, low molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin) or the recombinant fibrinolytic drug (alteplase), on various haemostatic parameters in vitro. ADP- and epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation was evaluated by optical aggregometry in the presence or absence of different concentrations of INO-1001, in combination with aspirin, tirofiban, eptifibatide or saline on ten healthy volunteers' platelet rich plasma (PRP). Activated partial thromboplastin time, Anti-Xa activity and euglobulin lysis time were determined in the presence or absence of different concentrations of INO-1001, in combination with sodium heparin, enoxaparin or alteplase, respectively. INO-1001, on its own does not affect the measured platelet, and haemostatic functions, i.e. does not reduce the respective anti-platelet, anti-coagulant and thrombolytic activity of therapeutically relevant concentrations of aspirin, tirofiban, eptifibatide, enoxaparin and alteplase in vitro. INO-1001 enhanced the effects of heparins above therapeutic ranges; the magnitude of this effect was negligible. Consequently, the PARP inhibitor INO-1001 can be safely applied together with the drugs tested.     

Mechanism of IS200/IS605 family DNA transposases: activation and transposon-directed target site selection

The smallest known DNA transposases are those from the IS200/IS605 family. Here we show how the interplay of protein and DNA activates TnpA, the Helicobacter pylori IS608 transposase, for catalysis. First, transposon end binding causes a conformational change that aligns catalytically important protein residues within the active site. Subsequent precise cleavage at the left and right ends, the steps that liberate the transposon from its donor site, does not involve a site-specific DNA-binding domain. Rather, cleavage site recognition occurs by complementary base pairing with a TnpA-bound subterminal transposon DNA segment. Thus, the enzyme active site is constructed from elements of both protein and DNA, reminiscent of the interdependence of protein and RNA in the ribosome. Our structural results explain why the transposon ends are asymmetric and how the transposon selects a target site for integration, and they allow us to propose a molecular model for the entire transposition reaction.